Résumé

Richard F. Felchlin was trained as a civil engineer at the University of California, Berkeley, but settled in Fresno, CA, by 1911, where he worked for about 20 years as an architect and engineer. He came to Fresno at the behest of the well-connected politician and physician Chester A. Rowell (1844-1912) in 1911, and only enjoyed one year of his patronage and support. Felchlin enjoyed very good success during the late 1910s and 1920s, building some of Fresno's tallest and most ambitious commercial buildings. He changed careers during the Depression, becoming the President of the Grant Pacific Rock Company, a supplier of materials used in the making of concrete.

Student employee, Dyer Brothers, San Francisco, CA, 1911.

Prinicpal, R.F. Felchlin Company, Fresno, CA, 1912-1925;

Partner, Felchlin, Shaw and Franklin, Architects and Engineers, Fresno, CA, and Los Angeles, CA, 1925-1930.

President, Grant Pacific Rock Company, Fresno, CA, 04/25/1942. This firm had its office at 2150 G Steet in Fresno. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives At St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; World War Ii Draft Cards (4th Registration) For the State of California; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147, accessed 02/28/2024.)

Pacific Coast Aggregates, Incorporated, bought half of the Grant Pacific Rock Company in 1938. Walker's Manual of Far Western Corporations & Securities, 1944, reported: "During 1938 acquired 1/2 interest in Grant-Pacific Rock Co. with properties located at Lindsay, Piedra, Rockfield and distributing plants at Fresno and Selma, Calif." (See "Pacific Aggregates, Inc.," Walker's Manual of Far Western Corporations & Securities, 1944, [San Francisco: Walker's Manual, Incorporated, 1944], p. 655.)

College

B.S., Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, c. 1913.

College Awards

Elected to Tau Beta Pi Engineering Fraternity, University of California, Berkeley (UCB), Berkeley, CA.

Elected to Phi Beta Kappa, University of California, Berkeley (UCB), Berkeley, CA, 1913. (See "Honor Societies," University of California Chronicle, Vol. 15, p. 298.)

Relocation

Born in Stockton, CA, Felchlin attended the University of California, Berkeley (UCB). He resided at 316 Scott Street in San Francisco, CA, in 1909. (See University of California Catalogue of Officers and Students for 1908-1909, p. 64.) While at the UCB in 1910, he lived with his family at 1153 Oak Street in San Francisco. The household included his parents Meinrad and Mary, his siblings Rudolph, and Annie, and at least two groups of lodgers, Annie Hansome (1860-1952) and the Behrens family, August Behrens (born c, 1872 in Germany), Carrie Behrens (born c. 1877 in CA) and Earl Behrens (born c. 1901 in CA). (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1910; Census Place: San Francisco Assembly District 37, San Francisco, California; Roll: T624_99; Page: 5a; Enumeration District: 0168; FHL microfilm: 1374112, accessed 02/28/2024.)

On 04/25/1942, Felchlin resided at 665 Carmen Avenue in Fresno. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives At St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; World War Ii Draft Cards (4th Registration) For the State of California; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147, accessed 02/28/2024.)

Felchlin spent most of his adult life in Fresno, CA, dying there at the age of 71.

Parents

His father was Louis Meinrad Felchlin (born 05/15/1853 in Switzerland-d. 12/22/1917 in Stockton, CA). The architect/civil engineer's mother was Mary Agatha Knoll (born 02/28/1860 in NJ-d. 12/28/1950 in San Francisco, CA).

Meinrad and Mary had at least six children, three of whom survived in 1910: Franklin Felchlin (born 1880 in CA-d. 1883 in CA), George Felchlin (born 1882 in CA-d. 1882 in CA), Ludwig "Louis" Felchlin (born 1890 in CA-d. 1892 in CA), Rudolph Alois Felchlin (born 09/09/1886 in Stockton, CA-d. 07/29/1961) and Anna Theresa Felchlin (born 1892 in CA-d. 07/09/1922 in Huntington Beach, CA).. His sister Anna died in a freak accident when an airplane was making a landing on the beach at Huntington Beach, when Anna, a music teacher, apparently ran accidentally into the plane's path. A wing hit her causing fatal injuries. (See "Jury Recommends that Public Be Protected from Airplane Danger," Pasadena Post, 07/13/1922, p. 1.)

Spouse

He wed Dorothy

Biographical Notes

During the Depression, Felchlin switched careers to become the President of the Grant Pacific Rock Company that operated in Fresno.

His World War II draft registration card listed Felchlin as being Caucasian, with a light complexion, brown eyes and brown hair. He stood 5-feet, 10-inches tall and weighed 180 pounds. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives At St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; World War Ii Draft Cards (4th Registration) For the State of California; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147, accessed 02/28/2024.)

SSN: 548-10-4102.