Henriksen, Bernhardt E.
Entry Author: David
Parry
Architect
The last recorded contract for the architectural firm of
Henriksen and Mahoney was awarded in November 1893 by the
City of San Francisco to design three firehouses. One of them
has since been demolished, but the other two survive and have
been designated San Francisco landmarks. At 1152 Oak is LM
#89 and at 3022 Washington is LM #93. The latter was converted
to a residence by decorator John Dickinson and is featured
in Saeks and Vaughan's San Francisco: A Certain Style.
Until 1995 it was the residence of former California Governor
and current Mayor of Oakland, Jerry Brown.
Bernhardt E. Henriksen was unusual for Victorian-era architects
in that he was actually born in San Francisco. His father
Benjamin was Norwegian and his mother Henrietta was German.
Bernhardt entered the office of respected French architect
Prosper Huerne in 1866 and Huerne made him a partner in 1875
.
Henriksen opened his own practice in 1881. In 1884 California
Architect & Building News proudly
called him 'the pioneer native-born architect'. Interesting
examples of his residential work from the 1880's, both pictured
in Here Today, can be seen at 1900 Webster (1884
- the Berges House, with an unusual group of four 'blind'
windows on the Pine Street side) and 1804 Broadway (1886 -
for Captain R. E. Raimond and noted for its oeil de
boeuf window in the gable).
An inventor as well as an architect, Henriksen patented an
Automatic Safety Clutch for elevators in 1880, promoting it
nationwide. In 1890 he received another patent - for a device
called an Adjustable Bridge for Fire Hose.
From 1891 to 1893 Henriksen was in partnership with architect
William C. Mahoney, but it was probably Henriksen's knowledge
of fire-fighting equipment that led to the firehouse commissions.
Henriksen was well respected in the local architectural community,
serving for three years in the mid-1880's as Secretary of
the San Francisco Chapter of the AIA. He was chosen as the
San Francisco delegate to lobby the California State government
to establish licensing of architects.
Entry taken from the website of David Parry at www.classicSFproperties.com
and is used by permission. Unauthorized use of this copyrighted
material is strictly forbidden without permission from the
author.
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Born: San Francisco, California, 1851