San Francisco County
PROSPER HUERNE
PROSPER HUERNE, the oldest architectural engineer in active
service on the Pacific coast, and a resident of San Francisco, is a native of
France, born November 26, 1820, and received his education in his native
country, and also studied his profession there, attending the Government School
of Art and Trade. After graduating he was engaged in engineering in the
road and bridge department of the Government—Ponts
and Chaussees. Mr. Huerne
came to California immediately following the early discovery of gold, arriving
in San Francisco June 17, 1850. Unlike most of those who came in the early
years of the gold excitement, he did not join the throng hastening to the
mines, but applied himself to the demands of his profession, and not only was the
first architect of his own nationality to locate here, but is the oldest now in
the active practice of his profession. He has designed, and at that time
had the supervision of, some of the heaviest work in the city and vicinity, as
the North Point Docks, the French Hospital, the first sugar refinery, the Hiberina Savings Bank, the Bella Union theater, the French
church, the mission at San Jose, Milpitis, Sonora;
the new Mission church; also Davisville, Suisun, San
Rafael churches; the Santa Rosa convent at San Francisco; the St. Agnes convent
at Stockton; the St. Joseph convent at Sacramento; the convent of Notre Dame at
San Francisco; the college at the corner of Larkin and Eddy streets in San
Francisco, and many other prominent buildings. Mr. Huerne
also had charge of the engineering of several mines. He was the chief
engineer of the first Market street railroad. Mr. Huerne
is thoroughly devoted to the interests of his profession. In 1881 he went
to Panama by invitation of Count de Lesseps, the
eminent engineer of that great work, and again during the following year,
remaining several months, until taken with the fever and obliged to return,
having succeeded to introduce the American mechanics in the canal work. He
was engaged to report on the harbors of San Diego, San Pedro and San
Francisco. Mr. Huerne is one of the founders of
the Society of Architects, and is a member of the California Academy of
Sciences and of the Society of Civil Engineers. He has been a contributor
to journals of engineering and architecture, and is the author of many valuable
papers of scientific and historic interest.
Transcribed by Donna L. Becker.
Source: "The Bay of San Francisco," Vol. 2, Pages
452-453, Lewis Publishing Co, 1892.
© 2006 Donna L.
Becker.