Home Builder Was Many Things, but Not an Architect

I was pleased to see the article on Joseph Eichler by Maresa Archer (Nov. 25), but there is one error to be noted.

Mr. Eichler was not an architect, but an outstanding builder, who began his company in the San Francisco Bay Area in the middle 1950s. His principal architect was the late Claude Oakland.

Mr. Eichler was not only an innovator as a builder, but a true believer in equal housing for all, turning no one away. This was during the time builders routinely put “Sold” signs on every new house in their tract as an easy way to discriminate.

Eichler later built low-cost housing in San Francisco with the same dedication to design and quality that marked all of his homes.

My husband and I bought our first Eichler in 1956, and later I went to work for Mr. Eichler. He was a wonderful person whose contribution as a builder and civil-rights advocate deserves greater recognition.

SUSAN V. RODDY

Laguna Hills