Emil Tessin – The Story

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We have been doing some research on Emil Tessin trying to find out some more details on his background and life story. Where did he come from? Where did he go? We are curious to learn more about this man and what became of him and his career.

This is a timeline of what we have been able to find out so far in a brief timeline:

  • July 21th 1931: Born in Saginaw, Saginaw County, Michigan, USA. He was the child of Emil Albert Tessin (1891 – 1956) and Mary Lucille Quinn Tessin (1896 – 1958). He had one brother Maurice Quinn Tessin (1927 – 2006).
  • June 12th 1953: Graduated from MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology], he received the Bachelor of Science in Building Engineering and Construction. [Verified by MIT Office of the Registrar].
  • July 25th 1953: Married to Florence Louise Crowther of Jamaica Estates [note in the Newspaper article from The Troy Record (Troy, New York) · Tue, Jul 28, 1953 it states that Emil was Lt. Emil Tessin II, Air Force Reserve].
  • 1957: Believe that Emil Tessin started work for Alside. As stated in House + Home Magazine Feb 1964 he departs after 6 years working with Engineers and Designers to create 22 homes.
  • December 6th 1961: Patent filed with the Serial No. 67,814 for a ‘MODULAR HOUSE’, submitted by – Emil A. Tessin H, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, as an assignor to Alside Homes Corporation, a corporation of Ohio.
  • September 11th 1962: Patent granted for a ‘MODULAR HOUSE’ with a term of 14 years.
  • December 1963: Departs Alside Homes Corporation.
  • October 1964: Sues Alside contending that as they no longer manufacture homes that he be allowed to work for other companies.
  • August 1967: Employed by Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Coral Springs FL. Emil was employed to develop a ‘Patio Package’. A “total electric outdoor living .. combines spaces heating, lighting, cooking facilities, and extra daylight.”
  • October 1968: Executive Vice President William Lyons Home Inc. Newport Beach, CA.  [it is unknown how long he was at this position – based on one newspaper article].
  • July 1970: President of S&S Construction, and undertook a project for an ‘Active Adults’ community with Parkewood-Los Alamitos [it is unknown how long he was at this position – based on one newspaper article].
  • July 1972: President of Diversified Communities, Inc. [DCI], a subsidiary of Newport Beach, California – headquartered Diversified Communities. A general partnership between Azimuth Equities [privately held real estate development firm] and Fleetwood Enterprises [publicly held company traded on NYSE][it is unknown how long he was at this position – based on one newspaper article].
  • January 1974: Officer with Colony Group Development Corporation in California. This company is now dissolved, and it was listed as having 1 member.
  • January 12th, 1983: Died in Newport Beach, Orange County, California, USA. Buried in St. Andrews Cemetery in Saginaw, Michigan.
  • July 1983: Sale Carson Harbor Village, a 409 space mobile park home for $8 million. It was only 5 years old and sold by: Emil Tessin Estate; Walker Smith & Dick Bradley to James Goldstein and Carlsberg Financial Corp.

Emil Tessin, architect and designer, at a mid-century modern he designed that is under construction. Photograph by Phillip Harrington, for Look Magazine.

Emil tessin, at a house he designed. The date is unknown. Photograph by Phillip Harrington, for Look Magazine.

Check back from time-to-time as we will be updating the timeline with information as we find out more details.

2 comments

  1. Hello. My name is Michael Tessin, and my father was Maurice Tessin. Emil Tessin was my uncle on my father’s side. I have some more information about his general life story. There is sometimes confusion about his history because he and his father had the same name. Emil disliked the idea of being Emil A. Tessin, Jr., and always listed himself as Emil A. Tessin II in his adult years.
    He had an additional sister, Mary Emily, and a younger brother Tom. His wife passed away a few years before he did, and he never emotionally recovered from that, which the family believes contributed to his own death.

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