Jim Lyons, a well-known architect and longtime resident of Pacific Palisades, died peacefully on Monday, September 10, after a brief illness. He was 94. Jim was born in Terra Alta, West Virginia, on October 30, 1912, moved to California with his family as a youngster and never left. He obtained his Master’s in Architecture from UC Berkeley and then pursued a 25-year architectural career, designing many prominent homes in Southern California. In 1948, Jim acquired land in Pacific Palisades. There he designed and built a home where he lived for the rest of his life. A lifelong bachelor, he retired at age 50 following a successful architectural career and spent the next four decades traveling the world, visiting the Great Wall of China, Blarney Castle, Antarctica, the Arctic Circle and Nepal, in addition to almost every state in America. His favorite destinations included Italy, Greece, Egypt, India and China, and his vast collection of photo albums attests to his lifelong interest in traveling and photography. Jim is survived by his cousin J. Andrew Spindler and family of New York City. His funeral was held on October 6 at Inglewood Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to PETA or similar animal rights’ organizations.
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