San
Joaquin County
Biographies
JAMES L. PICKERING
An interior and exterior decorator
whose artistic talents have been used to embellish and beautify many homes and
public buildings throughout the country, James L. Pickering has established a statewide
reputation for the excellence of his work since locating at Lodi, sixteen years
ago. Ohio is Mr. Pickering’s native
state and he was born near Columbus, April 10, 1871. He learned the painter’s trade when a young
man, spending a number of years in New York, St. Louis and Kansas City. He did a great deal of work for the Eastern
Packing Company, now Swift & Company, and was foreman of a crew of men who
painted the branch houses of this company throughout the East. He was employed on some of the buildings of
Columbia University and Grant’s Tomb, in New York, and on removing to St. Louis
he worked on the Union Station, the National Bank of Commerce, both notable
structures, and on many of the millionaires’ homes of that city, being foreman
for Marks & Jones, interior decorators, one of the leading firms in their
line. In 1901 he was engaged as foreman
for a large force of painters engaged in decorating the buildings for the
World’s Fair, being employed there until 1904.
He had general supervision over this work, and the artistic blending of
the delicate pastel colorings used in the decorations of these buildings will
ever be remembered by those who were privileged to see them. Just before beginning this contract, he had
taken a large force of men to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, where he had charge of
the decorations of a large hotel.
In 1904 Mr. Pickering came to
California and became foreman for A. H. Recht at
Stockton, remaining there until the spring of 1906, when he came to Lodi and
formed a partnership with S. E. Lossing. At the end of a year he bought out his
partner and has been in business for himself ever since. He established his paint and paper store at
122 North Sacramento Street, Lodi, in 1907, where he has since maintained the
leading establishment of its kind here.
In the past twelve years he has done at least sixty per cent of the best
residences and public business buildings, among which we note the
following: Residences of Miss Ann Brack,
Dr. J. E. Nelson and A. C. Boehner; Hotel Lodi; Lodi Theater, Van Buskirk Building, Mr. Newfield Store, Friedberger and
Blodgett Block, Catholic Church, Congregational Church, all of the schoolhouses
erected in recent years, except the Union high school, the Moquelumne Club and
the Farmers and Merchants Bank Building.
His work on homes around Lodi includes residences for the
following: Ed Pope, J. V. Bare, J. B.
Cory, C. C. Woodworth, Mrs. R. C. Bridge, T. H. Beckman, the Misses Anderson,
C. M. Ferdun, Fairbank & Dement ranch, and the
Norton and Angiers residences at Manteca. In Stockton he did the residences of J. D.
Peters, Dr. C. L. Six and Harry T. Fee, and one in particular which is worthy
of special comment is the $40,000 residence of Carl S. Ortman in Yosemite
Terrace, Stockton. This was the finest and
most expensive piece of decorating ever done in San Joaquin County, and won for
Mr. Pickering wide newspaper publicity, attracting artists in this line from
all over the country, and the workmanship and artistic color scheme were
declared to rank with the best in the state.
Mr. Pickering has recently erected a fine home for himself at Church and
West Lodi streets, formerly the site of the Lodi high school. He personally canvassed all the residents of
Church Street and succeeded in securing seventy-five per cent of the landowners
to petition for the new street paving and electric light posts for a mile along
this thoroughfare. This movement had
been tried before and failed, but due to Mr. Pickering’s perseverance, these
improvements are now an accomplished fact.
In 1922, on property adjacent to his home, he erected a four flat
apartment house, thoroughly modern.
In 1903 Mr. Pickering was married to
Miss Emily E. Roth, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and they are the parents of
one son, Robert. Mr. Pickering organized
the painters’ union of Lodi, having their wages increased and their hours
reduced from ten to eight hours a day.
He is a member of the Master Painters Association of California, having
served on the executive board, and in 1913 entertained a body of delegates at
the banquet at the Moquelumne Club, of which he is a popular member. He also belongs to the Woodmen of the World
and was formerly assistant chief of the Lodi Fire Department. Mrs. Pickering is a member of the Lodi Woman’s
Club.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
1259. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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