People
The principal at Teall Messer Architect is Teall Messer. Engineering services and some production work are out-sourced.
Teall grew up on the San Francisco peninsula in a family of artists and educators. He received his B.A. from U.C. Berkeley during some exciting times on that campus in teh mid 1960's. Both the intellectual environment and his cutting edge professors molded his view of the world and of design. After a stint in the US Navy with a Marine Construction Battalion Teall worked as a house painter and carpenter becoming a licensed general building contractor. That led to building houses as owner and developer and as a residential remodeling contractor. Along the way Teall built a pottery and was, for a brief time, a production potter turning out bowls, tea pots and planters. After completing his apprenticeship Teall was licensed as an architect.
Most of Teall's practice over thirty plus years has been in Santa Cruz county. He has worked in all parts of the county and is familiar with the vagarities of the county's Byzantine planning process.
Many things scientific, artistic and intellectual interest Teall. Fortunately architecture has a place for utilizing most of these interests and he is able to integrate them into his work. He loves practicing architecture. He enjoys working with and helping the people that are his clients realize their desires.
Salient associations:
Member Board of Directors and head of grant writing committee, Friends of the Santa Cruz Public Library: 13 years;
Santa Cruz County Planning Commission, mostly as an alternate: 20 years;
Past member Shakespeare Santa Cruz board of directors.
Past member Architects Association of Santa Cruz
