Lewis Parsons Hobart (1873-1954)

Monteagle House at 2516 Pacific Avenue Monteagle House at 2516 Pacific Avenue
Tudor Revival Architectural Style
2 July 2012
(Click Photo to Zoom)

Lewis Parsons Hobart was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He attended preparatory schools, UC Berkeley, the American Academy in Rome and École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. While in Berkeley, he attended drawing classes taught by Bernard Maybeck.

After returning from Europe, Hobart worked in New York until 1906 when he moved to San Francisco to open his own office and help rebuild the city after the 1906 Earthquake and Fire.

In 1932, Hobart became the first President of the San Francisco Arts Commission. He was a member of the Board of Architects for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island.

At least four of Hobart's buildings in San Francisco were demolished and replaced by highrise office buildings:

  1. Hobart's architectural firm was located at 525 Market Street in the Underwood Building which was designed by Hobart and built in 1914. It was demolished in 1973 and replaced by a 39-story enormity named First Market Tower.

  2. The Union Oil Company Clock Tower Building, which was one of San Francisco's loveliest structures, was replaced by sixty stories of condominiums at One Rincon Hill. At least One Rincon Hill, when viewed from the east, is not as offensive as First Market Tower,

  3. The Federal Savings Building, on the southeast corner of Post and Kearny, was built in 1910 and demolished in 1986 to be replaced by a 22-story building named 88 Kearny Street. The Maskey Building by Havens and Toepke was also demolished but part of the facade was saved and glued onto the new building.

  4. The Firemen's Fund Insurance Company Building, on the southwest corner of California and Sansome, was built in 1914 and demolished in 1968 to be replaced by a 26-story building named 425 California Street.

Hobart's most prominent surviving work is Grace Cathedral on Nob Hill.

Name Year Address City Sort Address Sort Name
Alexander Building1921149-157 Montgomery Street San FranciscoMontgomery 0149Alexander Building
Apartment Building19211055 California StreetSan FranciscoCalifornia 1055Apartment Building
Bohemian Club1930625 Taylor Street San FranciscoTaylor 0625Bohemian Club
Building at 660 Market Street1924660 Market StreetSan FranciscoMarket 0660Building at 660 Market Street
California Academy of Sciences (Demolished)Golden Gate ParkSan FranciscoGolden Gate ParkCalifornia Academy of Sciences (Demolished)
Cameron Mansion (Rosecourt)1913815 Eucalyptus AvenueHillsboroughEucalyptus 0815Cameron Mansion (Rosecourt)
Cathedral House (Demilished)19121051 Taylor StreetSan FranciscoTaylor 1051Cathedral House (Demilished)
Christ Episcopal Church193915th and H StreetsEureka Street 15Christ Episcopal Church
James Bong Building1908825-833 Market StreetSan FranciscoMarket 0825James Bong Building
Crocker Mansion191180 New Place RoadHillsboroughNew Place 0080Crocker Mansion
Diocesan House19351055 Taylor StreetSan FranciscoTaylor 1055Diocesan House
Ehrman House19162970 BroadwaySan FranciscoBroadway 2970Ehrman House
Fleishhacker Zoo1925Sloat BoulevardSan FranciscoSloatFleishhacker Zoo
George A. Bos Apartments19131050 Green StreetSan FranciscoGreen 1050George A. Bos Apartments
Grace Cathedral 1928California at Taylor StreetsSan FranciscoCaliforniaGrace Cathedral
Grant Mansion (Villa Rose)19102260 Redington RoadHillsboroughRedington 2260Grant Mansion (Villa Rose)
Hotel Del Monte1925Naval Postgraduate SchoolMontereyNavalHotel Del Monte
Jewelers Building1908150 Post StreetSan FranciscoPost 0150Jewelers Building
La Dolphine19151760 Manor DriveHillsboroughManor 1760La Dolphine
Lockwood Elementary School19156701 International BlvdOaklandInternational 6701Lockwood Elementary School
Macy's 1928101 Stockton Street San FranciscoStockton 0101Macy's
McAllister Tower1929100-120 McAllister StreetSan FranciscoMcAllister 0100McAllister Tower
Mills Tower1931220 Bush StreetSan FranciscoBush 0220Mills Tower
Monteagle House19212516 Pacific AvenueSan FranciscoPacific 2516Monteagle House
Newhall Building1910260 California StreetSan FranciscoCalifornia 0260Newhall Building
Postal Telegraph Building190822 Battery Street San FranciscoBattery 0022Postal Telegraph Building
Residence19202421 BroadwaySan FranciscoBroadway 2421Residence
Residence19213424 Jackson StreetSan FranciscoJackson 3424Residence
Residence190920 & 40 Presidio TerraceSan FranciscoPresidio Terrace 0020Residence
Selbach & Deans Building1928340-344 PineSan FranciscoPine 0340Selbach & Deans Building
Tobin House19252108 Washington StreetSan FranciscoWashington 2108Tobin House
Underwood Building (Demolished)1914525 Market StreetSan FranciscoMarket 0525Underwood Building (Demolished)
Union Oil Company Clock Tower Building (Demolished)1941425 First StreetSan Francisco!Street 01 425Union Oil Company Clock Tower Building (Demolished)
University of California Hospital1917505 Parnassus AvenueSan FranciscoParnassus 0505University of California Hospital
White Investment Company Building1908280 Battery StreetSan FranciscoBattery 0280White Investment Company Building
YWCA. Building1916620 Sutter StreetSan FranciscoSutter 0620YWCA. Building
Postal Telegraph Building at 22 Battery Street
Shell Building, Postal Telegraph Building and
Mechanics Monument
Postal Telegraph Building
22 Battery Street
Built 1908
Photographed 28 November 2019

The Postal Telegraph Building is one of several structures Hobart designed for the Crocker Estate.

The building, faced with red brick, is a three part vertical block with Renaissance/Baroque ornamentation. A broad, projecting cornice was removed when the top story was added.

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2421 Broadway
Built 1920
Photographed 17 October 2019

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Newhall Building
260 California Street
Built 1910
Expanded 1917
Photographed 28 November 2019

The steel-framed Newhall Building is ornamented with red brick piers and cream terra cotta in the Renaissance/Baroque style.

Hobart added two bays in 1917.

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660 Market Street
Built 1924
Photographed 28 November 2019

This steel-frame building is clad in terra cotta. It is a two-part vertical block with modified Gothic ornamentation.

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Alexander Building at 149-157 Montgomery Street
101 Montgomery Street
Alexander Building at the Intersection
333 Bush Street

101 Montgomery, the Schwab Building, was completed in 1984. It has 28 stories and is 123.00 meters tall.

The Alexander Building has 15 stories and is 59.74 meters tall.

333 Bush Street was completed in 1986. It has 43 stories and is 150.88 meters tall.

Alexander Building
149-157 Montgomery Street
Built 1921
Photographed 15 December 2019

The Alexander Building is a steel frame tower in a three part vertical composition with Gothic ornamentation. The warm brown brick curtain walls reinforce the prevailing colors and textures of the old Financial District.

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Jewelers Building
150 Post Street
Built 1908
Photographed 28 November 2019

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YWCA at 620 Sutter Street Metropolitan Club by Bliss & Faville and YWCA by Hobart

YWCA at 620 Sutter Street

YWCA
620 Sutter Street
Built 1918
Photographed 28 November 2019

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Cathedral House
1051 Taylor Street
Built 1911
Demolished 1993

George William Gibbs Memorial Hall, commonly called Cathedral House, was the first permanent structure built in the Grace Cathedral close. Originally built for the Church Divinity School, the Gothic Revival building was to be one part of a quadrangle of buildings adjacent to the cathedral.

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2108 Washington Street San Francisco
Photographed 5 September 2019

The core of this house was built around 1873 near the Spreckels Mansion. It was moved here in 1925 along with its furniture and completely remodeled by Hobart.

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The Former Hotel Del Monte Now Called Herrmann Hall Photograph Courtesy United State National Archives
Hotel Del Monte
AKA Herrmann Hall
Naval Postgraduate School
Monterey
Access is Restricted

In 1880, Charles Crocker built a grand resort hotel here on property owned by the Southern Pacific Railroad. The Old Del Monte golf course, which opened in 1897, is the oldest continuously operating golf course west of the Mississippi River.

In 1918, Hobart and Clarence A. Tantau designed a Roman Plunge Pool Complex and Hobart designed the pool itself. In 1926, Hobart and Tantau designed the hotel pictured here.

During World War II, the Navy requisitioned the property for a training school. In 1947, the Navy purchased the property. In 1951, the Naval Postgraduate School moved here from Annapolis.

The former hotel is now Herrmann Hall, the central building of the Naval Postgraduate School.

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