"Reid Brothers" redirects here. For the Scottish engineering company, see
Reid Brothers (Glasgow). For the Scottish band run by Craig and Charlie Reid, see
The Proclaimers.
Reid & Reid, also known as Reid Brothers, was an American
architectural and
engineering firm that was active from 1880 to 1932.[1] Established in Indiana by
Canadian immigrants, the firm moved to the
West Coast and became was the most prominent firm in
San Francisco, California in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[2][1]
In the late 19th–century, James and Merritt immigrated to
Evansville, Indiana from and worked at the architectural firm of Boy and Brickley.[2][6] In 1879, they purchased the contracts from Boyd & Brickley and opened Reid Brothers.[2]
One of their early clients was the Terre Haute Railroad which helped develop their reputation.[6] Their most notable work in Evansville is the
Willard Library which was executed in the
Gothic revival style.[2][6] Banker Aaron Guard Cloud commissioned two projects with the Reid Brothers: the
Cloud State Bank in the
Second Empire and
French Baroque style and his private home which are both in McLeansboro, Illinois.[6]
James and Merritt became Fellows of the
American Institute of Architects in 1889.[6] That same year, Merritt moved to San Francisco to open an office, followed shortly by James.[6] Watson remained in San Diego to run that office.[6][8] In 1891, Watson was joined by
William Sterling Hebbard, an architect who had trained in
Chicago.[6]
In 1892, the Reid Brothers were hired to design the
Portland, Oregon newspaper's Oregonian Building. It was the first steel-frame building west of Chicago.[6]
In 1894, Mrs. M. L. Selfridge hired the firm to design six houses on the corner of California and Pierce in San Francisco.[6]
Newspaperman
Claus Spreckels hired them to design a headquarters for The San Francisco Call in 1895.[6] Architect Charles William Dickey joined the firm's San Francisco office from 1895 to 1896.[9] He was from Oakland but had attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[9] They also hired draftsman John Walter Dolliver as a designer; draftsman Emile Schroeder Lemme, and architect
Albert L. Farr.[10][11][12]
Completed in 1897, the
Call Building was the tallest building west of Chicago at 315 feet.[6] The top of the Call Building was a four-story dome; there, the Reid Brothers established their new office on the eighteenth floor.[6] The Call Building dominated the San Francisco skyline and became its "most recognizable" landmark.[6] Spreckels continued to work with Reid & Reid for other projects including the Spreckels Car House, several family mansions, and
Spreckels Temple of Music, a music stand that Spreckels donated to
Golden Gate Park.[6][13]
In 1892, Watson Reid left the firm and moved back to New Brunswick. Watson Reid was commissioned to build what's known as Victoria Manor, completed in 1893 for Lt. Gov. Abner Reid McClellan. [6] Hebbard then became head of the San Diego office and oversaw its work.[6]
In addition to the
Spreckels Temple of Music, Reid & Reid designed the Caretaker's Cottage at Golden Gate Park.[2][13] In 1908, they also designed a Stadium at the Polo Fields for Golden Gate Park, but the project ended early in the construction phase.[2] Only a small section of the bleachers was constructed.[2]
Reid & Reid was hired to design the Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill in 1902.[6] Although damaged by the
1906 San Francisco earthquake, the hotel opened a year later, on April 18, 1907.[6] They also designed the First Congregational Church, the W. & J. Sloane Building, and two
Hale Brothers Co. department stores.[6] They also created the third version of
Cliff House.[6]
They also designed many mansions in the
Pacific Heights, although many were lost in the
1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire.[6] Two surviving houses located at 2083 and 2099 Pacific were built for Spreckels as wedding gifts for his son.[6] Those survive today, along with 1919 Sacramento, 2770 Broadway, and 2646 Vallejo.[6] Another residential project was the
Classical Revival Irwin mansion which was located at 2190 Washington.[6]
In 1929, they designed a 20-unit cooperative apartment building in
Russian Hill.[6] James moved into the apartment building, living there until he died in 1943.[6]
When Merritt died on February 4, 1932, James retired and closed the firm.[6]