Architect built great memories in Redlands
Jesse B. Gill, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 09/16/2007 02:24:05 AM PDT


REDLANDS - Robert Van Roekel, an architect who designed many Redlands homes and business buildings, including the former commercial complex that houses city government offices, died Sept. 12 in Redlands from complications of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) and pneumonia. He was 82.
In addition to his work in Redlands, Van Roekel, a 56-year resident of Redlands, had served as national president of the American Institute of Building Designers and had designed homes and other buildings for clients such as the Mondavis of the Napa Valley's Robert Mondavi Winery.

Robert John "Bob" Van Roekel was born May 26, 1925, in Pella, Iowa, to Louis and Jeanette Van Roekel. Soon the family moved to a farm where he grew up with his sisters Faye and Shirley. He worked on the farm during his school years and played the trumpet in the Pella High School Marching Band. He also enjoyed acting, woodworking and drafting. After graduating from high school in 1942, Van Roekel attended Iowa State University.

He served in the U.S. Army Air Force as an aircraft navigator during World War II, but the war ended before he saw action in combat. After the war, he returned to Iowa State, where he met Marilyn Jean "Frankie" Franks. They were married Dec. 20, 1946,



and he earned his bachelor's degree in architectural engineering from Iowa State in 1949.
After graduating, Van Roekel started his career as a building designer. He designed and built his first home in Ames, Iowa, before moving to Flint, Mich., where he and his wife had their first daughter, Deborah Rae.

After a few years, the Van Roekels moved to sunny Southern California. "His parents actually moved to Redlands first," said Sally Robertson, one of Van Roekel's three daughters. "They came out to get away from those harsh Michigan winters."

Once Van Roekel moved his family to Redlands, he became enamored with the area.

"He fell in love with Redlands," said Robertson, who also lives in Redlands. "He loved the climate and the citrus groves here."

Three of Van Roekel's four children were born in Redlands: Roberta Gay, Sally Ann and Robert Franks.

In Redlands, he and his wife designed and built their home on Monte Vista Drive, which had a beautiful view of the valley and mountains. They later renovated and lived in a turn-of-the-century house on Highland Avenue.

Van Roekel had his own architectural business for much of his career, employing a number of architects and designers. He built his office, the A-frame building at Sixth and Vine streets in Redlands, and designed many houses and commercial buildings in Redlands. He also designed the former Redlands Plaza buildings at Cajon Street and Citrus Avenue that now are used as Redlands city government offices. Van Roekel served as the national president of the American Institute of Building Designers and played a major part in passing legislation for licensing of building designers.

"He was very honored in his field," said Larry Burgess, director of the A.K. Smiley Public Library and former president of Van Roekel's Rotary Club.

In 1967, Van Roekel passed the four-day exam to become a licensed architect on his first try. Soon after, he was appointed by Gov. Ronald Reagan to the state Board for Architects.

In 1968, he became the licensed architect for Cliff May, a renowned designer of early California ranch-style houses. It was through that association that he came in contact with people who wanted large, expensive homes. He designed homes for Robert Wagner, Andy Granatelli and Bob Wian, founder of Bob's Big Boy, among others. He was also a finalist in the design competition for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

His favorite clients, with whom he became close friends, were Robert and Margaret Mondavi of Robert Mondavi Winery. He was the lead architect for their home as well as for the winery that is pictured on Mondavi wine labels. He consulted on the Robert Mondavi Winery in the Disney California Adventure Park and designed the Great Chef's Kitchen in Costa Mesa.

The final major project of Van Roekel's career is the one he was most proud of, his daughter Sally Robertson said. That was designing a 10,000-square-foot home in Redlands for Robertson and her husband, John.

"We built my house together," Robertson said. "That was a very special time for me, personally. He really put his heart and soul into that house."

Robertson said one of her father's great skills was in site planning and in integrating people's hobbies into the features of the houses he designed for them. A couple features of the Robertson home are a climate-controlled wine cellar for John's wine collection and a pasture and riding arena for Sally's horses.

In the tradition of her father's love for Redlands, Sally Robertson said her home has been used for many community functions and as the family gathering spot for Van Roekel's children and grandchildren. Van Roekel's other two daughters, sharing his love for Redlands, also returned here to raise their families.

In addition to his work, Van Roekel was active in the Redlands community.

He was a member of the Redlands Noon Rotary Club, and had perfect attendance for more than 50 years.

"He used to travel all over the world and he'd be sure to find a meeting somewhere so he could keep his attendance up," Burgess said. "It's really remarkable that he never missed a meeting in 50 years.

He was one of the outstanding Rotary members in the last five decades."

"He was a very community-minded person," Robertson said. For many years Van Roekel and his family attended the First Presbyterian Church of Redlands, where they made lifelong friends. He enjoyed camping, hiking, dancing, cross-country skiing and traveling with family and friends. He and his wife Frankie enjoyed Dance Club and Vagabond Club, a local travel group.

"He had a very wide range of interests," said Burgess. "He was a great conversationalist and was very well-read on a lot of topics."

Van Roekel loved the Redlands Bowl and attended every concert he could, and he and Frankie often brought their four children to concerts at the Bowl. Even after he became ill, he had his family take him to the concerts in his wheelchair.

As a member of the Community Chorus of Redlands, he sang in the Feast of Lights at the University of Redlands for more than 15 years.

Van Roekel was proud of his Dutch heritage and visited the Netherlands several times to study windmills. He designed a working windmill for his childhood home in Pella, Iowa, and for many years returned to Pella for Tulip Time, a festival put on by the Dutch community there.

Van Roekel married Jane Smith in 1979 and designed and built their state award-winning passive solar home in Reche Canyon, for which heating and cooling costs were only about $30 a year. Later they designed and built a mountain home in Forest Falls.

Survivors, in addition to his daughter Sally Robertson and her husband John, include his daughters Debi Mac Vie and her husband John (also known as Jmac) and Gay Richards, all of Redlands; his son Robert Van Roekel and wife Wendy of Utah; his sister Faye Massey of New Mexico; 12 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18, at Emmerson-Bartlett Memorial Chapel, 703 Brookside Ave., Redlands. Graveside services will follow at Hillside Memorial Park, then a reception to celebrate his life at the Robertson home. For more information on the reception, contact Sally Robertson at (909) 792-2186.

Memorial donations may be made to the Noon Rotary Club of Redlands for a scholarship fund in Van Roekel's name. Checks payable to the Rotary Club of Redlands may be sent to: Rotary Club of Redlands, Attn.: Ralph Feller, 131 Cajon St., Suite 5, Redlands, CA 92373.

- Robert Van Roekel's family contributed to this obituary.