Structures and Monuments in Which California Stone was Used

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Structures and Monuments in Which
California Stone was Used

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Finished Product from California Stone in California (Continued)

San Francisco, San Francisco County, California – Crocker Building
- San Francisco, San Francisco County, California - the Crocker Residence - Excerpt from the Tenth Annual Report of The State Mineralogist For The Year Ending December 1, 1890, California State Mining Bureau, Sacramento: State Printing Office, pp. 1890, pp. 20.
  
  “San Francisco, August 22, 1890.
  
  “Hon. Wm. Irelan, Jr.:
  
  “Dear Sir: I would like to thank you for the assistance you have given me in finding red sandstone. I had been looking all over the State for red sandstone, and came here from Indianapolis in 1889 especially for that purpose, and was unsuccessful, until very lately, in finding any that suited my purpose in the State, although I was hunting for it for about six months.
  
  “I heard of the Mining Bureau and happened to visit it one day and picked up a copy of the report, and in that report found a description of a deposit of red sandstone in Amador County. I immediately went to Amador County and secured the quarry. Found there was an immense body of it, at least forty acres, and about one hundred and seventy-five feet thick. I at once began to open it up, had the sandstone tested, found it to be of two qualities, a beautiful red and a pure white sandstone. We were very successful in selling the stone from the first day we started to work.
  
  “The stone has been used in the California State Bank, corner of J and Fourth Streets, Sacramento, one of the finest buildings in the State; also in the Methodist Church in Stockton, one of the largest churches we have; and is now being used in the Christ Church in Alameda, and in the Church of the Holy Innocents in this city; also, the Crocker residence is being built of it almost entirely, and this will be one of the finest buildings ever put up here. It is also being used in a dozen other places in this city and State, namely, Ukiah Asylum, Ione Industrial School buildings, Home for the Feeble-Minded Children at Glen Ellen, Sacramento Post Office, and many other places.
  
  “I had the stone tested by you and found that it will stand a crushing weight of seven thousand two hundred and ninety-five pounds to the square inch.
  
  Bank in Sacramento - $35,000
  
  Methodist Church in Stockton - $16,000
  
  Crocker Building - $46,000
  
  Ukiah Asylum, for this year - $26,000
  
  “I can safely say, that through the discoveries of the State Mining Bureau, there will be at least $500,000 worth of stone taken from this quarry within the next three years, independent of the above, already provided for.
  
  “Very respectfully yours, David O’Neil”
  - Rocklin Quarry, Placer County - Granite used in construction of the State Capitol in Sacramento, Hibernia Bank and the Crocker building, in San Francisco was taken from the Rocklin Quarry in Rocklin, Placer County, California. (The Structural and Industrial Materials of California, Bulletin No. 38, San Francisco, California, 1906.)
San Francisco, San Francisco County, California - the Crossley Building (From The Structural and Industrial Materials of California, Bulletin No. 38, California, State Mining Bureau, San Francisco, California, 1906.)

Marble from the Colton Marble Works Quarry in San Bernardino County was used in the construction of the Crossley Building.
San Francisco, San Francisco County, California – the Curbing & Rebuilding of San Francisco circa 1906 (The following information is from “Projects Utilizing Rocklin Granite,” compiled by members of the Rocklin Historical Society from various sources, 2011.)

“1906 Rebuilding (curbing etc.) at San Francisco after earthquake and fire of 1906”
San Francisco, California – Dewey Monument (From The Structural and Industrial Materials of California, Bulletin No. 38, California, State Mining Bureau, San Francisco, California, 1906.)

Sandstone from the McGilvray Stone Company sandstone quarry, located three fourths of a mile east of Sites, Colusa County, was used in the construction of the Dewey Monument.

Ill. No. 52. Dewey Monument. Raymond Granite.

San Francisco, County, California - The Dewey Monument and Union Plaza After the 1906 Earthquake - in the “Various Aspects of the San Francisco Disaster” article (from The Monumental News Magazine, Vol. XVIII, No. 8, August, 1906, pp. 555-558.)

How the Monuments were Demolished.

“Our illustrations show the freakish ways in which the shock twisted and turned the monuments of San Francisco. The Dewey monument in Union Plaza, is seen standing stately and unharmed amid the surrounding wreckage....”

“Union Plaza And Dewey Monument After The Disaster.”

(Photo caption, pp. 556) “Union Plaza And Dewey Monument After The Disaster.”

San Francisco, San Francisco County, California – the Emporium
- San Francisco, San Francisco County, California - the Emporium Building - the Building Front
  
  Some sources indicate that the sandstone used on the front of the old Emporium building was Colusa County sandstone quarried by the McGilvray Stone Company. The 1895 article, entitled “A Twentieth Century Palace of Commerce. The Emporium of San Francisco,” states that the sandstone was quarried at the “Pioneer Quarry, Lincoln County, and Yaquina Bay, Oregon” and provided by J. D. McGilvray, Builder.
  
  You can use the following link to view a transcription of the article and the photographs: “A Twentieth Century Palace of Commerce. The Emporium of San Francisco” the Overland Monthly, Vol. XXVI. (Second Series), No. 155, November 1895, pp. 461-480. (The November 1895 edition of this magazine is available on Google Books.)


The Emporium Building in San Francisco. Building up the sandstone front. J.D. McGilvray, Builder.	The front elevation of the Emporium Building. Pissis & Moore, Architects.	Placing the steel framework of the dome on the Emporium building. Diameter 100 feet.

- San Francisco, San Francisco County, California - the Emporium Building (from “Colusa County Sandstone Builds Some of The World’s Most Famous Buildings,” by John L. Morton, Colusa County Historian and Colusa County CAGenWeb Project Coordinator.
  
  Many fine buildings are attributed to the McGilvray sandstone quarry located at Sites, Colusa County, California, including the Emporium building.
- San Francisco, San Francisco County, California – the Emporium Building – The following information is from The Structural Engineers Association of California News, by Hamid Fatehi, August 2006, pp. 1. (The link from which the following information was obtained is no longer available.)
  <http://www.seaonc.org/pdfs/August_final.pdf>
  
  According to this article, Colusa sandstone was used for the façade of the building, which was constructed in 1896. The article states that the “landmark Emporium building was completely destroyed, except for the stone façade, by the massive earthquake and fire of 1906. The building was re-constructed shortly thereafter in 1908….”
- San Francisco, San Francisco County, California – the Emporium Building Exterior (history) The following information is from “Recently Opened San Francisco Center: Westfield mall is mix, mismatch,” by John King, Chronicle Urban Design Writer, October 4, 2006.
  
  This article mentions the Colusa sandstone that was used on the exterior of the Emporium building: “Prodded by city officials and preservationists, developers Forest City and Westfield Group kept the most memorable pieces of the Emporium department store that occupied much of the site from 1896 until 1996. The Market Street facade of Colusa sandstone and black cast iron was cleaned and restored, and so was the ornate glass dome inside.
  
  “Both of these high-profile icons look great, especially the facade. The neoclassical concoction with its enormous arched entrance has a timelessness that puts the rest of the mall's outer wrapping to shame.”
San Francisco, San Francisco County, California - the F. W. Woods Building (From The Structural and Industrial Materials of California, Bulletin No. 38, California, State Mining Bureau, San Francisco, California, 1906.)

Sandstone from the McGilvray Stone Company sandstone quarry, located three fourths of a mile east of Sites, Colusa County, was used in the construction of the F. W. Woods Building on Geary Street.

San Francisco, San Francisco County, California - the Fairmount Hotel - 3 Lower Floors. Raymond granite from Madera County was used in the construction of the three lower floors of the hotel. (From The Structural and Industrial Materials of California, Bulletin No. 38, California, State Mining Bureau, San Francisco, California, 1906.)

Ill. No. 7. Fairmount Hotel, San Francisco. Three Lower Floors of Raymond Granite.

San Francisco, San Francisco County, California - the Ferry Building (From The Structural and Industrial Materials of California, Bulletin No. 38, California, State Mining Bureau, San Francisco, California, 1906.)

Granite from the Leahy & Turner Granite Quarry (formerly known as the Leahy, Storan & Rodgers quarry) was used in the construction of the Ferry Building. Sandstone from the Colusa Sandstone Company, located three fourths of a mile east of Sites, Colusa County, California, was also used in the construction of the Ferry Building.
- San Francisco, San Francisco County, California - the Ferry Building. (From Report XIV of the State Mineralogist - Mines and Mineral Resources of Portions of California, Chapters of State Mineralogist's Report - Biennial Period 1913-1914, Part II. "The Counties of Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Marin, Napa, Solano, Sonoma, Yolo," by Walter W. Bradley, Field Assistant (field work in October, 1913), California State Mining Bureau, San Francisco, California, 1916, pp. 173-370:
  
  “...The Ferry Building in San Francisco, 1896, was the first large building constructed of this (Colusa sandstone) stone. The most recent is the new fourth wing of the St. Francis Hotel (see photo No. 175), the other three wings being from the McGilvray quarry....”
- San Francisco, San Francisco County, California - the Ferry Building (from “Colusa County Sandstone Builds Some of The World’s Most Famous Buildings,” by John L. Morton, Colusa County Historian and Colusa County CAGenWeb Project Coordinator.
  
  “Opened in 1886 the Knowles Quarry at Sites supplied the stone that built some of the most beautiful buildings in San Francisco: the most famous of which is the Ferry Building, the work of architect Page Brown....”
  
  “According to the Colusa Daily Sun, Wednesday, April 28, 1897 the Knowles Quarry was visited by F. S. Chadbourne, the State Harbour Commissioner, Howard R. Swain, the Chief Architect of the Ferry Building and Howard Holmes, the Chief Engineer. They came to check the progress of the stone supply so that the Ferry building could open per schedule January 1, 1898. The present production according to Mr. Holmes was two flat cars per day. The officials were reported to be well pleased. They commented that their stone masons, many from the east coast, were very impressed with the Colusa Stone; commenting on its hardness. Mrs. Holmes provided a list of equipment that was in use at the quarry. A handy reference to verify that schedules could be met.”
San Francisco, San Francisco County, California – the First National Bank Building (The following information is from The Bankers’ Magazine: Rhodes Journal of Banking and the Bankers’ Magazine Consolidated, Vol. LXXV, July to December 1907, New York: The Bankers Publishing Co., available on Google Books – Full View Books.

According to the chapter entitled, “San Francisco’s New Bank Buildings,” by Horatio F. Stoll, pp. 873-874, the exterior of the twelve-story First National Bank building was of “Raymond granite and white stone.” (Raymond granite is quarried at Raymond in Madera County, California.)
San Francisco, San Francisco County, California–- the Flood Building (From The Structural and Industrial Materials of California, Bulletin No. 38, California, State Mining Bureau, San Francisco, California, 1906.) Sandstone from the McGilvray Stone Company sandstone quarry, located three fourths of a mile east of Sites, Colusa County, was used in the construction of the Flood Building at Powell and Market streets.
- San Francisco, California - the Flood Mansion* (photograph and history) The sandstone used in construction of the Flood building was quarried in Portland, Connecticut. Photographs and history of the Flood mansion can be viewed at The City Rocks! Explore the Hidden World of Building Stone - The Geological History of A San Francisco Mansion by E. B. Keck.
  - * Please note: One of our visitors provided me with the following correction to the above entry:
    
    There is an error in the above entry. The entry refers to the Flood Building Earthquake damage to stone piers. Shown with the attached photo. However the image is not that of the Flood Mansion on Nob Hill, but the Flood Building on Market Street, owned by Flood. The twelve-story building was completed in 1904. At that time, it was the largest building in the city of San Francisco. It still stands today. Bill Roddy, America Hurrah.
- San Francisco, California – the Flood Building (photograph and history)
- San Francisco, California – the Flood Building Exterior (photograph and history) The following information is from Wilson, Meany web site in the “Projects Specialty” section.
  
  As of 1993, “The renovation (of the Flood building) included a complete rehabilitation of the building’s lower three floors and meticulous restoration of the original Colusa sandstone façade.”
San Francisco, San Francisco County, California – the Flood Vault (The following information is from “Projects Utilizing Rocklin Granite,” compiled by members of the Rocklin Historical Society from various sources, 2011.)

“1890 Flood Vault, San Francisco”

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