Harald Gerber arrived in Twin Falls in 1926 at the age of 2, when his parents immigrated from Germany. After serving in the U.S. Army from 1943-1946, he looked to re-start his college education; he took an aptitude test which pointed him to a career in architecture. He graduated from the University of Idaho in 1950, and joined the Twin Falls firm of Paradise and Lash (later, Gerber and Lash). He started his own firm in 1955. He never retired, working almost up to his death in 2015.

In addition to architecture, he was also interested in photography. He photographed many of his own projects as well as other buildings and landmarks in the Magic Valley, paying special attention to small details and unique features. After his death, his widow, Phyllis Petersen Gerber, donated several hundred photos, negatives, slides, microfilm, and documents to the Library that help to give an irreplaceable perspective on the growth of the area in the mid to late 20^th Century.