San Francisco County
Biographies
P. J. O’Connor
was born in Liverpool, England, his parents, however being residents of
Ireland. He attended school in Ireland,
and went to Italy and attended school also in Rome. Then he returned to Dublin, where he pursued
the study of architecture, and afterward attended lectures in Birmingham,
England. He came to the United States
and followed his profession in Philadelphia, and worked on the old cathedral in
Logan Square, the Broad street depot of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and
the Orphan Asylum. He wanted to come to
the coast, but was for a while prevented on account of the cholera at the
Isthmus. As soon as it abated he
started, in the spring of 1852, sailing on the old Ohio, with a very large list
of passengers, 1,400, among whom were the late Hon. A.
P. Crittenden, John Morrisay, Gen. Hughes, Mr.
Cunningham and other men of note. On
this side he came up on the steamer Columbus being twenty-eight days on the
way, and arrived here June 18, 1852.
Instead of
following the throng to the mines he was offered good wages in building, and he
followed his trade until the Fresno mining excitement broke out, when he
determined to seek his fortune in the mines there, but had hard luck, his
entire outfit being stolen by the Spaniards and Indians, and he had to return
to the city on foot. Here he resumed his
trade. The following year he went to the
center of the Kern river excitement, and met with the
same result and had to walk back and resume his trade. In 1855 he went to Oregon and was there upon
the breaking out of the Indian insurrection.
He took part in the battle of Big Bend on Rogue river,
in the Third Artillery and Fourth Infantry against the Indians under the old
Chief John Enos; was under fire thirty-seven
hours. Between thirty and forty were
killed and wounded. He returned to San
Francisco, and afterward went to Angel’s camp in Calaveras county, and engaged
in mining with Dr. Hill, but not being very successful he returned here and
opened an architect’s office and since
then has been prominently identified with his profession here. In 1868 he was appointed architect for the
Board of Supervisors and rebuilt the City Hall after its partial destruction by
earthquake. He made plans for the City
and County Hospital and various engine houses.
He was appointed architect for the Board of Education and several public
schools buildings were erected under his supervision. He was appointed an expert on the State
capital, the Folsom State prison and the Insane Asylum at Napa. He was also appointed architect for the Fire
Department in 1876, and has held that position since. He has also expended much time and mony in developing methods for extracting ores and
perfecting machinery – some of them very practical and adopted by mining
companies.
Mr. O’Connor has
led a busy life, but of late has taken it much easier. His home is on the old Spanish grant called “Ojo Agua de Rancho Figueroa,” one
of the oldest Spanish grants, a part of the presidio reservation, and one of
the most attractive locations bordering on and overlooking the Golden Gate.
Transcribed
Karen L. Pratt.
Source:
"The Bay of San Francisco," Vol. 1, pages 656-657, Lewis Publishing
Co, 1892.
©
2005 Karen L. Pratt.