Résumé

Draftsman, Mendelsohn, Dinwiddie and Hill, Architects, San Francisco, CA, 06/1946. This firm had an office at 233 Sansome Street in San Francisco on 06/14/1946. Gerson found employment with another exile from Germany, Erich Mendelsohn (1887-1953). (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for California, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 649, accessed 08/05/2022.)

Principal, Hans Ullrich Gerson, Architect, Berkeley, CA, c. 1955; his office was at 79 Florida Avenue in Berkeley at that time. He maintained his office address here in 1957. (See Pacific Bell Oakland, California, 1957, Telephone Book, p. 23.)

Gerson jined the Northern California Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1949;

Gerson operated the successor firm to William Merchant (1889-1962) who, in turn, took over the practice of Bernard Maybeck; Gerson's office records are preserved in the University of California, Berkeley, College of Environmental Documents Collection; plans of the rebuilding of the Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco, 1960s, and plans for the San Francisco World Trade Center are represented.

Relocation

Hans Ullrich Gerson was born in Altona, Hamburg, Germany, on 11/01/1915. Gerson was Jewish and forced to leave Nazi Germany during the 1930s. He first settled in London by at least 07/1939, and subsequently relocated to Berkeley, CA, where his mother Elisabeth and sister Maria lived. By 07/27/1939, Elisabeth had reestablished herself at 1530 Euclid Avenue in Berkeley, CA, according to her US naturalization paperwork of 07/27/1939. (This residence on Euclid was likely the home of a relative, Oscar Gerson [1886-1966], a steelworker, and his wife Martha [1892-1967]. See Oakland, California, City Directory, 1943, p. 373.) Elisabeth left Germany on 03/27/1939 aboard the Holland-Amerika Liner S.S. Delftdyk, and entered the US at San Francisco. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives at San Francisco; San Bruno, California; NAI Number: 605504; Record Group Title: Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685-2009; Record Group Number: 21, accessed 08/05/2022.)

Han Ullrich Gerson resided at 1909 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA, in 1941. When asked his citizenship, he listed "stateless" on his World War II draft registration card of 06/14/1946. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for California, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 649, accessed 08/05/2022.)

The architect's last residence was in the 94530 zip code of El Cerrito, CA.

Parents

His father was Hans E. Gerson (born 03/19/1881 in Altstadt, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany-d. 10/14/1931 in Altona-Groß Flotbek, Hamburg, Germany).

The architect's mother was Elisabeth Rosenfeld (born 11/05/1887 in Hamburg, Germany-d. 07/16/1965 in CA) In 1943, she worked as a nurse and continued to live at 1530 Euclid Avenue in Berkeley. (See Oakland, California, City Directory, 1943, p. 373.) Her parents were Louis Rosenfeld (born 10/17/1844 in Germany-d. 11/26/1909 in Germany) and Elisabeth Cohen (born 05/05/1861 in Germany-d. 01/11/1921 in Hamburg, Germany).

She and Hans E. Gerson had three children: Hans Ullrich Gerson, Hellmut Ernst Gerson (born 06/04/1919 in Altona, Germany) and Maria Hedwig Gerson (born 12/03/1924 in Altona, Germany).

His brother Hellmut resided in Gel Avid, Palestine in 1939. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives at San Francisco; San Bruno, California; NAI Number: 605504; Record Group Title: Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685-2009; Record Group Number: 21, accessed 08/05/2022.) Hellmut had moved to Berkeley by 1943, where he worked as a cabinet maker for J.R. Grant and lived with his mother. (See Oakland, California, City Directory, 1943, p. 373.)

Spouse

Gerson married Lily R. Roberts (born c.1924) on 05/01/1975 in Alameda County, CA. She was 51, he, 59. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Ancestry.com. California, U.S., Marriage Index, 1960-1985 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007, accessed 08/05/2022.)

Biographical Notes

The spelling of his middle name has been spelled variously as "Ullrich," "Ulrich" or "Olrich."

His World War II draft registration card indicated that Gerson was Caucasian, with a medium complexion, gray eyes and brown hair. He stood 5-feet, 10-inches tall, and weighed 145 pounds. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for California, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 649, accessed 08/05/2022.)

• Berkeley, CA (Architect's Office)
  79 Florida Avenue
  Berkeley, CA 94707-1734

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  This was the address of Gerson's office in 1962;

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