Résumé

Draftsman, Caleb Hyatt, Architect, San Francisco, CA, 1861-1862. In 1861, Caleb Hyatt had an office at 5 Post Street in San Francisco. (See San Francisco City Directory, 1861, p. 371.) Hyatt's office was listed as being at 6 Post Street in 1862. (See San Francisco Directory, 1862, p. 433.)

Principal, Thomas J. Johnston, Architect, San Francisco, CA, 1863-1867. Johnston likely took over Hyatt's office location at 5 Post Street in San Francisco. Like many architects, Johnston used his office at 5 Post Street, Shiels Block, to also reside. (See San Francisco Directory, 1863, p. 203.) In 1864, Johnston maintained an office in Shiel's Block in San Francisco. The office was listed as being at 5 Post Street in that year. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1864, p. 222 and p. 441.) William Shiels, a real estate dealer, maintained his office at 608 Market Street in 1869, at the intersection of Market, Montgomery and Post Streets. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1869, p. 561.) Johnston worked in Room #2 of the Shiels Block in 1865. (See San Francisco Directory, 1865, p. 247.)

In 1867, Johnston had an office at 9 Post Street in San Francisco. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1867, p. 271.)

Partner, Johnston and [William, Sr.,] Mooser, Architects, San Francisco, CA, 1868-1871. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1868, p. 306.)

Principal, Thomas J. Johnston, Architect, San Francisco, CA, 1872-1873.

Partner, Johnston and Curlett, Architects, San Francisco, CA, 1873-1875. In 1873, Johnston was listed as working with William F. Curlett (1846-1914), but resided in Salt Lake City, U.T., during the construction of the Wasatch Hotel and Theatre there. (See San Francisco Directory, 1873, p. 333.) In 09/1875, Johnston and David Farquharson each received $250 form the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for their work on the proposed extension of Leidesdorff Street from California Street through to Pine Street. The street would be 25 feet wide. (See "Leidesdorff Street," Daily Alta California, vol 27, no. 9308, 09/28/1875, p. 1.)

Johnston died on 12/06/1875. A classified advertisement appeared in the 12/19/1875 issue of the Daily Alta California newspaper that read: “This partnership heretofore existing in this city between Thomas J. Johnston and William Curlett was dissolved on the 6th of December, 1875, by the death of Mr. Johnston. The undersigned, or surviving partner, will collect all bills due the firm, and settle all outstanding business thereof. San Francisco, December 14th, 1875. Wm Curlett, Architect, 330 Pine street.” (See “Notice of Dissolution,” Daily Alta California, vol. 27, no. 9390, 12/19/1875, p. 3.)

A notice in the San Francisco Examiner said of Johnston's career: “The funeral of the late Thomas J. Johnston took place to-day at half-past one o’clock, under the auspices of the Odd Fellows, of which Order he was a member. Mr. Johnston had resided here for quite a number of years, and, by his strict attention to his profession and his abilities, attained a high rank as an architect. Among the numerous building erected under his supervision are the Occidental Hotel, Russ House, Pacific Stock and Exchange Board building, Maguire’s Opera House, the late Mayor Otis’ residence, the First National Gold Bank, Wasatch Hotel and Theatre in Salt Lake, and the Court-house in San Luis Obispo.” (See “The Late T.J. Johnston,” San Francisco Examiner, 12/10/1875, p. 3.)

William F. Curlett advertised in 1876 that his firm was "successor to Johnston and Curlett." (See San Francisco City Directory, 1876, p. 864.)

Relocation

According to historian Harold Kirker, Johnston came to San Francisco, CA, in about 1860. (See Harold J. Kirker, California’s Architectural Frontier Style and Tradition in the Nineteenth Century, [Salt Lake City: Gibbs M. Smith, Incorporated, 1986], p. 209.) By 1861, he worked for the San Francisco architect Caleb Hyatt (). (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1861, p. 193.)

Like many architects in San Francisco during the1850s and 1860s, Johnston moved from one dwelling to another periodically. This may have been due to the high costs as well as the fluidity of the housing stock due to fires, rapid population growth and extensive building. It also may have meant that his financial condition was somewhat precarious, forcing moves. Oddly, no US Census or CA voter data can be found on Johnston from the period 1860 to 1875. Nor can any marriage or birth documentation.

In 1863, the architect worked and lived at 5 Post Street in San Francisco. (See San Francisco Directory, 1863, p. 203.) A year later, Johnston resided at 108 Stockton Street in 1864. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1864, p. 222.)

He dwelled at 109 Sansom Street in 1868. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1868, p. 306.)

In 1869, Johnston lived and resided at his office at 9 Post Street. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1869, p. 338.) He made his home at 5 Post Street, San Francisco, in 1871. (See The San Francisco directory for the year commencing April, 1871, p. 473.)

The architect dwelled at 606 Folsom Street in 1872. (See San Francisco Directory, 1872, p. 354.)

Johnston worked with William Curlett by 1873, but Johnston resided in Salt Lake City, U.T., in this year. (See San Francisco Directory, 1873, p. 333.) A year later, he was back in San Francisco, making his home at 923 Powell Street. (See San Francisco Directory, 1874, p. 357.)

In the last year of his life, he lived at 122 Taylor Street in San Francisco. (See The San Francisco directory for the year commencing March, 1875, p. 405.) He passed away in 1875.

Biographical Notes

In 1867, there were two other Thomas Johnstons living in San Francisco. One, was "Thomas J.P. Johnston," a pressman, resided in San Francisco, CA, during the 1860s through the 1890s. The other was Thomas Johnston who worked at a wood yard on Cowell's Wharf in the city. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1867, pp. 270-271.)

A “Thomas J. Johnston” served as a Captain in the California National Guard between 04/15/1870 and 03/14/1871. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Ancestry.com. California, U.S., Military Registers, 1858-1923 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014, accessed 10/23/2023.) A brief notice appeared in the San Francisco Examiner in 07/1870: “Thomas J. Johnston, was elected Captain of Company B, City Guard, on Tuesday evening. Captain Johnston has been a member of the Company for fourteen years.” (See “Local Brevities,” San Francisco Examiner, 07/28/1870, p. 3.) If this was the architect, then he had been in San Francisco since at least 1856.