The history of Greene and Greene has been thoroughly documented. The person most responsible for bringing awareness and the initial scholarship regarding the work of the Greene’s was Randell Mackinson (1932-2013). As a young architecture student, Randell met Charles Greene in the 1950s.

Randell meeting Charles Greene in his studio in Carmel, Ca

Over the course of his professional career, Randell became the first director of the Gamble House museum and wrote extensively on the work of the Greene’s.

Randell with Charles’ son, Thomas

In the early 1980s a friend of Jim Ipekjian’s purchased the Duncan-Irwin House (Greene and Greene 1906). Jim helped restore the house and this began the first of many Greene and Greene restorations. Jim has been involved in various forms of restoration for the following Greene and Greene homes:

  • The Gamble House

  • The Blacker House

  • The Robinson House

  • The Freeman Ford House

  • The Cordelia Culbertson House

  • The Merwin House

  • The Henry Ware House

  • The Spinks House

  • The Charles Greene House

  • The Bolton Bush House

  • The Crocker Crow House

  • The Bentz House

  • The DeForest House

  • The James Culbertson House

  • The Duncan Irwin House

  • The Pratt House

  • The Adelaide Tichenor House

  • The Jennie Reeve House

  • The Walter Richardson House

  • The Thorsen House

  • The Earl C. Anthony House

For a brief number of years, Jim and Randell formed a partnership in manufacturing Greene and Greene reproductions under the name James Randell.

While their business partnership did not last long, their friendship endured for many years. Professionally, Jim and Randell sought each others advice and knowledge over a wide variety of Greene and Greene restoration projects until Randell’s passing in 2013.

Randell bequeathed to Jim a collection of woodworking tools that personally belonged to and were used by Charles Greene. These include various chisels, hand planes, drafting tools, as wells as carving studies.

Note chisel laying on door in foreground. Archival photo of Charles Greene’s studio in Carmel, Ca

Jim’s son, Jack had his first experience working on a Greene and Greene home around the age of 11 while Jim was overseeing the restoration of the Blacker House. Jack reproduced all of the ebony push button light switches for the house on a vintage Logan machinist lathe.


In 2003, Jack began woodworking professionally and has worked on the architectural restoration as well as furniture and lighting reproduction for many Greene and Greene homes. This work continues to this day.