Résumé

Draftsman, Hoffman and Mooser, San Francisco, CA, 1862-1864. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1862, p. 345.)

Partner, Hoffman and Schmidt, San Francisco, CA, 1864-1868;

Partner, [Augustus F.] Eisen and Schmidt, Architects, San Francisco, CA, 1868-1873; (In 1869, the Eisen and Schmidt had its office in the building at 101 Post Street; see San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1869, p. 676.)

Principal, Peter R. Schmidt, Architect, San Francisco, CA, 1874-1881, 1886-1888, 1890-1894. In 1879, Schmidt had an office at 103 Post Street in San Francisco. (SeeSan Francisco, California, City Directory, 1879, p. 936.)

Partner, Schmidt and [Charles I.] Havens, Architects, San Francisco, CA, 1882-1885; Partner, Schmidt and Frank T. Shea, Architects, San Francisco, CA, 1889-1890; Schmidt retired in 1894 or 1895, and lived on his ranch southwest of Calistoga.

Schmidt’s home address was first listed at 1913 Stockton Street. In 1867, his home address changed to the North side of Oak near Laguna. In 1883, at a cost of $8,000, Schmidt built his own home on the Northwest corner of Golden Gate and Broderick Streets.

College

Schmidt received training in architecture in Germany before arriving in the US in the 1850s.

Relocation

Born in Germany, Peter R. Schmidt came to the US in the early 1850s. He migrated through several locations--New York, NY, Washington, DC, San Antonio, TX, and Hamilton, TX-- before settling in San Francisco in 1862. (The vicinity of San Antonio, particularly, in the counties of Fayette, Washington, Austin and Colorado, had a large number of German-speaking setters in the mid-19th century. The German colonies of New Braunfels and New Ulm, among others, were founded at this time.) His name did not appear in the San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1861,but did in the directory of the following year. He first lived at 1913 Stockton Street before 1867; in 1867, he and his new bride moved to a house at Oak Street near Laguna Street.

Sixteen years later, Schmidt designed a new house for his growing family (now expanded to three children). This comfortable, $8,000 dwelling stood on the northwest corner of Golden Gate Avenue and Broderick Street. He lived at this location in 1887. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1887, p. 1049.)

Schmidt bought 365 acres near Calistoga, CA, in 1885, and moved there in the early 1890s. He became a vintner and raised fruit on his estate.

He died in San Francisco in early 1901.

Parents

His parents were Caspar Theodore Schmidt and Frederica Schmidt; this couple had 12 children, and lived in Hagen, Westphalia.

Spouse

Peter R. Schmidt married Louise Laemmermann (born c. 1847), in San Francisco, CA, on 05/14/1866. Louise came from Darmstadt, Hesse, (just south of Westphalia). Another member of San Francisco's German community, Victor Hoffman, also an architect, was one of two witnesses at the wedding. (Much of the information on Schmidt's life and family was derived from "Peter R. Schmidt," a brief biography put on line by architectural historian Kaleene Kenning on the web site, Victorian San Francisco. SeeAccessed 02/14/2011; see also another version of this material by Kenning atAccessed 02/27/2011.) Schmidt’s home address was first listed at 1913 Stockton Street. In 1867, his home address changed to the North side of Oak near Laguna. In 1883, at a cost of $8,000, Schmidt built his own home on the Northwest corner of Golden Gate and Broderick Streets.

Children

Peter and Louise had three children: Richard (born c. 1868 in CA), Elsie (born c. 1880 in CA), and Adele (born c. 1882 in CA).