The pioneering East Bay architect showed regional modernism could be affordable, too In postwar California, if you lived in the East Bay with modest means and midcentury dreams, Roger Lee may have been your best bet for building the home you always wanted. A pioneering Chinese-American architect, Lee made his mark on local architecture during the ?50s and ?60s, creating more than 100 homes in cities like Berkeley, Kensington, and El Cerrito, while helping to refine a crisp, effortless, and charming Bay Area style of residential design.

?He did great modern design for the masses, starting at the same time Joseph Eichler was doing work,? says Chris Olson, a Bay Area real estate broker who often sells Lee-designed homes. ?While Eichler approached it from the business side, Lee was more of an artist, trying to design custom homes for everyone, no matter their income level. People find that kind of idealism appealing.? Biography
Born in 1920 in Oakland, California, Roger Lee studied at the University of California, Berkeley, graduating with honors in 1941. He may have picked the perfect time to study at Berkeley, according to architecture writer Dave Weinstein, since his studies not only connected him with the intellectual leaders of an evolving regional design movement, but also positioned him to take advantage of the postwar building boom.

Photograph by Ernest Braun/Courtesy of the Braun Archives/Roger Lee Collection, Environmental Design Archives, ...