Ernest Bixler

Ernest Samuel Bixler (April 11, 1898 – June 16, 1978) was an American master builder and designer in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. From the 1930s to 1950s, he built over 80 homes in the Carmel area, three on Scenic Road. He served as postmaster and was a member of the Carmel Planning Commission. Bixler became known for building Spanish Eclectic-style homes.

Early life
Bixler was born in April 1898 in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. His father was Harrison Edward Bixler Sr. (1866-1964), and his mother was Lura Edna Quick (1866-1953). His father came to San Francisco by riverboat from Sacramento to help rebuild the city after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. He had two brothers and three sisters. Bixler was married to Ruth Goddard (1900-1987), an astrologer, on August 20, 1924, in San Joaquin, California. They had two children together. He married a second time, to Wilma Podesto on July 24, 1956, in San Diego, California.

Before World War I, Bixler migrated to California from Arkansas. He joined the United States Army in 1918 and served in the military.

Career


Bixler partnered with his father in the building contracting business and received training as a carpenter in Oakland, California. He worked in the East Bay before moving to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California in 1928. During the Great Depression in the United States, Bixler worked as a carpenter for $4 to $6 a day.

The Enchanted Oaks Building, was built in 1927, by Bixler with the design work done by architect Samuel J. Miller. The structure was nominated and submitted to the California Register of Historical Resources on January 29, 2003.

In 1930, Bixler designed and built the Mrs. Glenn Myers House, a Tudor Revival-style house on Carmelo Street 3NW of 13th Avenue. San Francisco concert singer, philanthropist, and patron of the arts, Noël Sullivan lived there in the 1930s, and his friend, poet Langston Hughes wrote, The Ways of White Folks, a collection of short stories there in 1933.

In the 1930s, Bixler became known for building Spanish Eclectic-style homes. Examples of this are the Ten Winkel Spanish House (1930) on San Antonio Avenue 2SE of 4th Avenue, and the George E. Butler House (1936) on the northeast corner of Scenic Road and 8th Avenue. During his tenure as mayor, Horace D. Lyon resided in this house.



In 1936, Bixler built a large two-story wood-framed and Carmel-stone veneer Tudor-style house for T.J. Brennan. It is at the northeast corner of 26097 Scenic Road and Martin Way, overlooking Carmel Point and Carmel Bay. The house remained unoccupied for an extended period and eventually fell into a state of disrepair. However, in 2019, restoration work commenced.

Bixler's personal residence in Carmel was a California Ranch-style building with a hipped roof. According to City Directories, Bixler lived in Carmel at the southwest corner of 11th Avenue and Junipero between 1947 and 1963. He was a member of the Carmel Lions Cub, Sons In Retirement, and the Rancho Cañada Golf Club.

Bixler played a significant role in designing and constructing homes in Carmel and Pebble Beach, California until 1939, when he was appointed as Carmel's Postmaster. He was Postmaster from 1939 to 1951.

During World War II he was chief petty officer in the Seabee (United States Naval Construction Battalions) stationed in Rhode Island, Philippines, and Australia. After the war, he held a seat on the Carmel Planning Commission from 1956 to 1952.

In 1951, he returned to contracting until his retirement in 1966. By 1965, he had built more than 80 homes in Carmel.

Works
• Enchanted Oaks Building (1927)

• Mrs. Glenn Myers House (1930)

• LaFrenz House or The Arbors (1931)

• L.A. Williams Cottage (1932)

• Ten Winkel Spanish House (1930)

• Alice Elder House & Guest House (1932)

• George E. Butler House or Lanakai (1933)

• Colonial Terrace Inn (1936)

• ''Dr. T.J. Brennan House (1936)

Death
Bixler died on June 16, 1978, at his residence in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Memorial services were conducted at the Carmel Mission Chapel, and he was buried at the Chapel of the Chimes Columbarium and Mausoleum in Oakland.