Lewis Parsons Hobart (1873-1954)
)
Union Oil Company Building
I do not know the provenance of this photograph. It was given to me by a relative who lives in Berkeley, California. Her father was a mechanical engineer who worked on large projects in Los Angeles, Honolulu and San Francisco. He probably contributed to the structural integrity of this building.
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 seven of Hobart's buildings in San Francisco have been demolished: Firemen's Fund Insurance Company Building at California and Sansome in 1968; Underwood Building at 525 Market Street in 1973; Federal Savings Building at Post and Kearny in 1986; Cathedral House at Grace Cathedral in 1993; Union Oil Company Building in 2005; California Academy of Sciences and Steinhart Aquarium in Golden Gate Park in 2005.
Hobart's most prominent surviving work is Grace Cathedral on Nob Hill. The cathedral is a San Francisco Landmark.
La Dolphine in Hillsborough is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
You can view Hobart's buildings in chronological order here, or use a link in the following table to visit a specific property.