Lewis Parsons Hobart (1873-1954)
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:
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.
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,
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.
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 Building | 1921 | 149-157 Montgomery Street | San Francisco | Montgomery 0149 | Alexander Building |
Apartment Building | 1921 | 1055 California Street | San Francisco | California 1055 | Apartment Building |
Bohemian Club | 1930 | 625 Taylor Street | San Francisco | Taylor 0625 | Bohemian Club |
Building at 660 Market Street | 1924 | 660 Market Street | San Francisco | Market 0660 | Building at 660 Market Street |
California Academy of Sciences (Demolished) | Golden Gate Park | San Francisco | Golden Gate Park | California Academy of Sciences (Demolished) | |
Cameron Mansion (Rosecourt) | 1913 | 815 Eucalyptus Avenue | Hillsborough | Eucalyptus 0815 | Cameron Mansion (Rosecourt) |
Cathedral House (Demilished) | 1912 | 1051 Taylor Street | San Francisco | Taylor 1051 | Cathedral House (Demilished) |
Christ Episcopal Church | 1939 | 15th and H Streets | Eureka | Street 15 | Christ Episcopal Church |
James Bong Building | 1908 | 825-833 Market Street | San Francisco | Market 0825 | James Bong Building |
Crocker Mansion | 1911 | 80 New Place Road | Hillsborough | New Place 0080 | Crocker Mansion |
Diocesan House | 1935 | 1055 Taylor Street | San Francisco | Taylor 1055 | Diocesan House |
Ehrman House | 1916 | 2970 Broadway | San Francisco | Broadway 2970 | Ehrman House |
Fleishhacker Zoo | 1925 | Sloat Boulevard | San Francisco | Sloat | Fleishhacker Zoo |
George A. Bos Apartments | 1913 | 1050 Green Street | San Francisco | Green 1050 | George A. Bos Apartments |
Grace Cathedral | 1928 | California at Taylor Streets | San Francisco | California | Grace Cathedral |
Grant Mansion (Villa Rose) | 1910 | 2260 Redington Road | Hillsborough | Redington 2260 | Grant Mansion (Villa Rose) |
Hotel Del Monte | 1925 | Naval Postgraduate School | Monterey | Naval | Hotel Del Monte |
Jewelers Building | 1908 | 150 Post Street | San Francisco | Post 0150 | Jewelers Building |
La Dolphine | 1915 | 1760 Manor Drive | Hillsborough | Manor 1760 | La Dolphine |
Lockwood Elementary School | 1915 | 6701 International Blvd | Oakland | International 6701 | Lockwood Elementary School |
Macy's | 1928 | 101 Stockton Street | San Francisco | Stockton 0101 | Macy's |
McAllister Tower | 1929 | 100-120 McAllister Street | San Francisco | McAllister 0100 | McAllister Tower |
Mills Tower | 1931 | 220 Bush Street | San Francisco | Bush 0220 | Mills Tower |
Monteagle House | 1921 | 2516 Pacific Avenue | San Francisco | Pacific 2516 | Monteagle House |
Newhall Building | 1910 | 260 California Street | San Francisco | California 0260 | Newhall Building |
Postal Telegraph Building | 1908 | 22 Battery Street | San Francisco | Battery 0022 | Postal Telegraph Building |
Residence | 1920 | 2421 Broadway | San Francisco | Broadway 2421 | Residence |
Residence | 1921 | 3424 Jackson Street | San Francisco | Jackson 3424 | Residence |
Residence | 1909 | 20 & 40 Presidio Terrace | San Francisco | Presidio Terrace 0020 | Residence |
Selbach & Deans Building | 1928 | 340-344 Pine | San Francisco | Pine 0340 | Selbach & Deans Building |
Tobin House | 1925 | 2108 Washington Street | San Francisco | Washington 2108 | Tobin House |
Underwood Building (Demolished) | 1914 | 525 Market Street | San Francisco | Market 0525 | Underwood Building (Demolished) |
Union Oil Company Clock Tower Building (Demolished) | 1941 | 425 First Street | San Francisco | !Street 01 425 | Union Oil Company Clock Tower Building (Demolished) |
University of California Hospital | 1917 | 505 Parnassus Avenue | San Francisco | Parnassus 0505 | University of California Hospital |
White Investment Company Building | 1908 | 280 Battery Street | San Francisco | Battery 0280 | White Investment Company Building |
YWCA. Building | 1916 | 620 Sutter Street | San Francisco | Sutter 0620 | YWCA. Building |
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.
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.
This steel-frame building is clad in terra cotta. It is a two-part vertical block with modified Gothic ornamentation.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.