Résumé

Draftsman, John Gash, Architect, San Francisco, CA, 1890-1893.

Principal, Hugo Storch, Architect, Oakland, CA, 1893-1899, 1906-1915. The 1900 US Census indicated that Storch worked as a "draughtsman," likely for someone else.

Architect, Electrical Engineering Company of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 1899-1903.

Architect, Van Emon Elevator Company (the new name of the Electrical Engineering Company of San Francisco), San Francisco and Berkeley, CA, 1903-1906.

Relocation

Born in Mexico, Storch resettled with his family to the US by about 1879, this according to the 1900 US Census. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1900; Census Place: Fruitvale Precinct 2, Alameda, California; Roll: 81; Page: 4; Enumeration District: 0325, accessed 01/08/2025.) Hugo, his parents and siblings resided in San Francisco, CA, by 1880. The Storches likely lived on Fell Street, in what would become the Civic Center neighborhood of the city. At this time, the district had a number of German-speaking families residing there. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1880; Census Place: San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Roll: 79; Page: 265a; Enumeration District: 214, accessed 01/08/2025.)

They moved to the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland, CA, by the mid-1890s, and it is here that Storch had his primary practice. Between 1894 and 1906, at least, the architect and his family lived in Oakland, CA, on Lynde Street near Peralta Avenue. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation California State Library; Sacramento, California; Great Registers, 1866-1898; Collection Number: 4-2A; CSL Roll Number: 4; FHL Roll Number: 976449, accessed 01/08/2025 and Oakland, California, City Directory, 1906, p. 457.) The Fruitvale district was populated by other German-Americans as well as native-born. Irish, English, French, Swiss, and Danish immigrants in 1900.

The 1900 US Census indicated that Storch had been naturalized by that date. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1900; Census Place: Fruitvale Precinct 2, Alameda, California; Roll: 81; Page: 4; Enumeration District: 0325, accessed 01/08/2025.)

In 1912, voter rolls indicated that Johanna Storch lived at 3114 Lynde Street in Oakland. She was listed as a Republican voter. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation California State Library; Sacramento, California; Great Register of Voters, 1912, accessed 01/08/2025.)

He moved to Sonoma County, CA, in 1915. He died in Sonoma County on 09/29/1917 at the premature age of 44. He was buried at Santa Rosa Memorial Park in Santa Rosa, CA.

Parents

His father Jaroslav Bohuslan "Emanuel" Storch (born 02/13/1834 in Austria-d. 02/03/1912 in Monterey, CA) was a mining engineer of Bohemian-German ancestry. Jaroslav married Augusta Elizabeth "Anna" Von Kotz (born 05/08/1841 in Austria-d. 04/11/1904 in Oakland, CA) while they still resided in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. They had one child Julia while they lived in Austria. His parents then moved to New York, NY, by at least 1865, and then relocated to the North Bergen, NJ, area by 1866. From here Jaroslav moved for work in the expanding mines of Mexico before 1873. Hugo was born in Mexico while his father worked in mining operations there in 07/1873.

His siblings included Julia Storch (born c. 1857 in Austria), Louis Storch (born 07/22/1865 in NY-d. 12/08/1843 in Alameda County, CA), Robert Storch (born 06/30/1866 in North Bergen, NJ-d 03/07/1870 in North Bergen, NJ), and Zdeny Storch(born 02/25/1871 in NJ-d. 11/16/1951 in Alameda County, CA)

Spouse

He wed Johanna M. Thee (born 01/871-d. 07/01/1931) on 08/18/1894 in Alameda County, CA. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information: California, U.S., Marriage Records from Select Counties, 1850-1941 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014, accessed 01/08/2025.)

Children

Johanna and Hugo had three children: Juanita Marie Storch (born 05/23/1895 in Oakland, CA-d/ 01/26/1987 in Santa Rosa, CA), Alvin Hugh Storch (born 03/23/1897 in Oakland, CA- 09/05/1956 in Redwood City, CA) and Leland Alfred Storch (born 03/26/1899 in Oakland, CA-d/ 07/30/1951 in Los Angeles, CA)

Biographical Notes

According to Alameda County voting records of 1894, Storch was tall measuring about 6-feet, 1-and-1/2-inches in height. This document indicated that he was Caucasian with a light complexion, blue eyes and brown hair.