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Male, US, born 1876-06-26, died 1961-03-06
Associated with the firms network
Ashley, Keyser and Runge, Architects; Campbell and Pettus, Builders; Meyer and Evers; Meyer and Johnson; Meyer and O'Brien, Architects; Meyer, Frederick Herman, Architect; Meyer, Peugh, Pflueger and Rist, Architects; Newsom and Meyer, Architects; Pelton, John C., Jr., Architect
Résumé
Draftsman, John C. Pelton, Jr., Architect, San Francisco, CA, 1895.
Draftsman, Campbell and Pettus, Building Contractors, San Francisco, CA, 1896-1898.
Designer/Partner, [Samuel] Newsom and Meyer, Architects, San Francisco, CA, 1898-1900. In 1899 and 1900, Newsom and Meyer had their office in the Mills Building in San Francisco. (See Crocker-Langley Directory Company's San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1899, p. 1297 and Crocker-Langley Directory Company's San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1900, p. 1879.)
Partner, Meyer and [Smith] O'Brien, San Francisco, CA, 01/1902-01/1908.
Principal, Frederick H. Meyer, Architect, San Francisco, CA, 1901, 1908-1912; Meyer worked with fellow architects John Galen Howard (1864-1931) and John Reid, Jr., (1879-1968), on the plan of San Francisco's new Civic Center and its new Auditorium Building, San Francisco, CA, 1912-1915. Meyer and Reid also coordinated the competition for the grand City Hall #5 (1912-1915), a symbol of the city's post-1906 renaissance. In 1920, Meyer's office was located at 742 Market Street. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1920, p. 1133.)
Partner, Meyer and [Albin R.] Johnson, San Francisco, CA, c. 1918-1926. His World War I draft card indicated that Meyer maintained an office at 49 Geary Street in 1918. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Registration State: California; Registration County: San Francisco Source Information Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005, accessed 05/07/2024.) Other sources from 1918 stated that his office was situated at 742 Market Street. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1918, p. 1182.)
Partner, [Dodge A.] Riedy and Meyer, San Francisco, CA.
Partner, Meyer, [W.D.] Peugh, [Martin] Rist and [Timothy L.] Pflueger, c. 1938.
Partner, Meyer and Albert John Evers, San Francisco, CA, 1945-after 1956. The firm became "Meyer and Associates," San Francisco, CA, c. 1960, (Associates being [Mark T.] Jorgenson [Lawrence H.] Keyser). The firm was succeeded by the firms of [George Frederick] Ashley, Keyser and [Christopher W.] Runge, [Alfred W.] Johnson and Runge, and Christopher W. Runge, Architect.
His obituary in the Western Architect and Engineer stated of Meyer: "He was an originator of large glass areas at a time when heavy masonry masking steel construction with small windows was the rule." His obituary also indicated that "At the time of his death, he was consulting architect to Ashley, Keyser & Runge, Architects." (See "Frederick Meyer Dies," Western Architect and Engineer, vol. 221, no 4, 04/1961, p. 7.)
Professional Activities
Member, American Institute of Architects (AIA).
Meyer served as the National First Vice-President of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), 1937-1938.
G. Frederic Ashley, Arthur Brown, Jr., Frederick H. Meyer and W.R. Yelland were nominated as delegates from the Northern California Chapter to attend the American Institute of Architects national convention in 1939. (See "Northern California Chapter," Architect and Engineer, vol. 138, no. 3, p. 69.)
Member, CA State Board of Architectural Examiners, 1927-1941.
President, CA State Board of Architectural Examiners (two terms), Sacramento, CA, 1928-1930 and 1936-1937.
Professional Awards
Fellow, American Institute of Architects (FAIA), 1934.
Archives
Some materials on the work of Frederick H. Meyer is contained in the Frederick H. Meyer Collection, 1904-1962, held at the University of California, Berkeley, College of Environmental Design Archives. (See Online Archive of California, "Frederick H. Meyer Collection, 1904-1962,"
College
Meyer gained his architectural expertise via the apprentice method, and had no formal schooling in architecture. The 1940 US Census indicated that Meyer had completed four years of high school. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1940; Census Place: Sausalito, Marin, California; Roll: m-t0627-00262; Page: 62B; Enumeration District: 21-39, accessed 05/07/2024.)
Relocation
Most sources indicated that Meyer was born in San Francisco, CA, on 06/26/1876. His World War I draft registration card listed it as 06/26/1875, likely in error. His Marin County death certificate put it at 06/26/1876.
His family lived at 909 Kearney Street in a neighborhood between what would become North Beach and Chinatown. As indicated by the 1880 US Census, the neighborhood had many immigrants from Baden, Hanover, Prussia, Saxony and Bavaria living nearby. In 1880, John N. Meyer was a hotelkeeper employing nine staff members, all but one born in Germany. (The lone exception was Mary Kelly [born c. 1852 in Ireland].) John lived in the hotel with his wife Sophie and their one daughter and three sons. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1880; Census Place: San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Roll: 73; Page: 368b; Enumeration District: 027, accessed 05/07/2024.)
As a young, single draftsman in 1896 and 1897, Meyer lived at 1818 Hyde Street in San Francisco. (See Crocker-Langley Directory Company's San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1896, p. 1104 and Crocker-Langley Directory Company's San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1897,p. 1206.)
A voter register of 1898 listed Meyer as living at 920b Pine Street. The 1899 San Francisco city directory also indicated he remained at 920b Pine Street. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation California State Library; Sacramento, California; Great Registers, 1898; Collection Number: 4-2A; CSL Roll Number: 117; FHL Roll Number: 977278, accessed 05/07/2024 and Crocker-Langley Directory Company's San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1899,p. 1212.)
Meyer married Lilian Norton in 1901.
Frederick Meyer, his family and two household workers lived at 2715 Buchanan Street in San Francisco in 1910. The household workers were Sophia Buttneau (born c. 1878 in CA) and Agnes Normil (born c. 1869 in WI). (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1910; Census Place: San Francisco Assembly District 41, San Francisco, California; Roll: T624_101; Page: 1a; Enumeration District: 0275; FHL microfilm: 1374114, accessed 05/07/2024.)
Frederick H. Meyer lived, with his wife, Lilian, in San Francisco, CA at 2756 Steiner Street, between c. 1911-c. 1929. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1920; Census Place: San Francisco Assembly District 31, San Francisco, California; Roll: T625_136; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 150, accessed 05/07/2024.)
In 1930, the Meyers lived in a residence worth approximately $25,000 at 2397 Vallejo Street in San Francisco. The household included Meyer's mother-in-law, Alice B. Norton (born c. 1847 in OH), and two servants, Amelia A. Murray (born c. 1875 in CA) and David Schnidler (born c. 1871 in OR). This was an affluent area in 1930, with neighboring houses valued between $12,000 and $65,000. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1930; Census Place: San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Page: 20B; Enumeration District: 0330; FHL microfilm: 2339942, accessed 05/07/2024.)
Frederick and Lilian Meyer moved to Sausalito, CA, where they lived between 1932-1961. In 1940, the US Census located the architect living at 161 Harrison Avenue in Sausalito, CA. He lived here with his daughter Phyllis A. Hastings and his grandson, Norton Ross Hastings (born 1931 in CA-d. 2003 in CA). Phyllis had had a divorce during the 1930s. Amelia Murray, at age 69, continued to work for Meyer. The house had an estimated value of $22,000, high for the neighhorhood, where at least two dwellings had approximate values of $10,000 and there were many houses nearby with low rental costs (between $15 and $75). (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1940; Census Place: Sausalito, Marin, California; Roll: m-t0627-00262; Page: 62B; Enumeration District: 21-39, accessed 05/07/2024.)
Meyer lived at 98 San Carlos Avenue in Sausalito, CA, just before his death. According to his death certificate, Meyer had been a resident of Marin County since c. 1935. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Ancestry.com. California, U.S., San Francisco Area Funeral Home Records, 1895-1985 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010, accessed 05/07/2024.)
In 1950, Meyer resided with his daughter Phyllis and her second husband Cedric Clute, Sr., at 45 Barber Street in San Anselmo, CA. Frederick lived here with Phyllis and Cedric, Phyllis's son Norton Hastings, and Cedric's sons their son Cedric, Jr., (born c. 1931 in CA), and Peter Clute (born c. 1934 in CA). Cedric, Sr., operated a leather goods store. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: San Anselmo, Marin, California; Roll: 550; Page: 15; Enumeration District: 21-23, accessed 05/07/2024.)
He died 03/06/1961 at Marin General Hospital, Greenbrae, CA. The architect was buried in Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, Colma, CA. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Ancestry.com. California, U.S., San Francisco Area Funeral Home Records, 1895-1985 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010, accessed 05/07/2024.)
Parents
Frederick Meyer's father, John Nicolaus Meyer, a German-born cabinetmaker, and his mother Sophie A. Stubbe (born c. 1850 in obtained U.S. citizenship in 1877. His parents came from Schleswig-Holstein in Germany.
Frederick's siblings included: Sophie Meyer (born c. 1871 in CA); John Meyer (born c. 1873 in CA); and William Meyer (born c. 1877 in CA).
Spouse
Meyer married Lillian Belle Norton (born 03/01/1876 in Galveston, TX-d. 02/11/1937 in Marin County, CA) on 12/14/1901 in Sacramento, CA. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Ancestry.com. California, U.S., Select Marriages, 1850-1945 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2014, accessed 05/07/2024.)
Children
He and Lillian had four children, two of whom died in infancy. One child, who had not received a name, died on 09/12/1898. A second child, Frederica Hazen Meyer, was born 01/11/1911 in CA and died on 04/16/1911 in CA. Those who survived were Norton Meyer (born 01/11/1903 in CA-d. 09/07/1995 in Marin City, CA) and Phyllis Alison Meyer (born 06/08/1905 in San Francisco, CA-d. 08/21/1999 in Mill Valley, CA).
As noted on the 1940 US Census, Phyllis Meyer Hastings Clute had had one year of college. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1940; Census Place: Sausalito, Marin, California; Roll: m-t0627-00262; Page: 62B; Enumeration District: 21-39, accessed 05/07/2024.) Her first husband was Ross Reed Hastings (1903-1978), whom she married on 06/29/1929, and her second was Cedric Errington Clute, Sr., (1907-1979).
Biographical Notes
Meyer engaged in sailing during his free time.
San Francisco voter records of 1898 described Meyer as standing 5-feet, 10-inches tall, with a fair complexion, blue eyes and fair hair. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation California State Library; Sacramento, California; Great Registers, 1898; Collection Number: 4-2A; CSL Roll Number: 117; FHL Roll Number: 977278, accessed 05/07/2024.) His World War I draft registration card listed Meyer as being Caucasian, with blue eyes and light hair. He was of medium height and build. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Registration State: California; Registration County: San Francisco Source Information Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005, accessed 05/07/2024.) SSN: 563-52-2573.
Frederick Meyer was a common name in San Francisco c. 1918. At that time, at least 13 others were listed in the San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1918, (p. 1182).
Frederick and Lilian spent about three months in Europe during the late summer and fall of 1929. They traveled aboard the Canadian Pacific liner SS Montrose between Montreal, QC, Canada and Liverpool, England, arriving in the latter on 08/17/1929. They left Europe from Liverpool and returned to Montreal between 11/01/1929 and 11/08/1929. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives in Washington, DC; London, England, UK; Board of Trade: Commercial and Statistical Department and Successors: Inwards Passenger Lists; Class: Bt26; Piece: 896; Item: 14, accessed 05/07/2024 and Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC, USA; Manifests of Passengers Arriving At St. Albans, Vt, District Through Canadian Pacific and Atlantic Ports, 1895-1954; NAI: 4492490; Record Group: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787 - 2004; Record Group Number: 85; Series Number: M1464; Roll Number: 560, accessed 05/07/2024.)
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