James Rupert Miller
Encyclopedia
James Rupert Miller was an architect
active in San Francisco
, California
in the first half of the 20th century. Miller gained prominence after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
when his firm was one among many called upon to rebuild the stricken city.
After serving apprentice and draftsman to several prominent San Francisco architects in the late 19th century, Miller formed his own firm in 1902. Miller joined two prestigious social clubs: the Corinthian Yacht Club of Tiburon
and The Family
. In 1906, Miller partnered with George T. De Colmesnil to better tackle the many reconstruction tasks at hand. Miller and Colmesnil designed the Corinthian Yacht Club's Colonial Revival
clubhouse in 1912. Together, they rebuilt the City of Paris department store in 1909.
Miller and Colmesnil hired teenaged Timothy L. Pflueger
in 1907 to help as a draftsman in the office. Miller saw promise in Pflueger and gave him his first assignment: Our Lady of the Wayside Church
in 1912. Colmesnil left the partnership in 1913.
Miller continued on his own, with Pflueger on staff. The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
became an important client, with near-continuous expansion of their Neoclassic
600 Stockton Street location in San Francisco from 1914 through 1919 (the building now houses a Ritz-Carlton
hotel.) In 1923, after working full-time on the Castro Theatre
project, Pflueger was given full partnership with Miller.
Miller moved to Burlingame
in the 1920s with his wife Florence G. Miller. Miller retired in 1937 at age 68.
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
active in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the first half of the 20th century. Miller gained prominence after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
when his firm was one among many called upon to rebuild the stricken city.
After serving apprentice and draftsman to several prominent San Francisco architects in the late 19th century, Miller formed his own firm in 1902. Miller joined two prestigious social clubs: the Corinthian Yacht Club of Tiburon
Tiburon, California
Tiburon is an incorporated town in Marin County, California. It occupies most of the Tiburon Peninsula, which reaches south into the San Francisco Bay. The smaller city of Belvedere occupies the south-east part of the peninsula and is contiguous with Tiburon...
and The Family
The Family (club)
The Family is a private club in San Francisco, California, formed in 1901 by newspapermen who left the Bohemian Club. The club maintains a clubhouse in the city as well as rural property 35 miles to the south in Woodside....
. In 1906, Miller partnered with George T. De Colmesnil to better tackle the many reconstruction tasks at hand. Miller and Colmesnil designed the Corinthian Yacht Club's Colonial Revival
Colonial Revival architecture
The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own...
clubhouse in 1912. Together, they rebuilt the City of Paris department store in 1909.
Miller and Colmesnil hired teenaged Timothy L. Pflueger
Timothy L. Pflueger
Timothy Ludwig Pflueger was a prominent architect, interior designer and architectural lighting designer in the San Francisco Bay Area in the first half of the 20th century. Together with James R...
in 1907 to help as a draftsman in the office. Miller saw promise in Pflueger and gave him his first assignment: Our Lady of the Wayside Church
Our Lady of the Wayside Church
Our Lady of the Wayside Church is a modest church built in 1912 for the then-growing Catholic parish of Portola Valley by a combined effort of Jewish, Protestant and Catholic members of The Family, a San Francisco men's club that owns a nearby rural retreat....
in 1912. Colmesnil left the partnership in 1913.
Miller continued on his own, with Pflueger on staff. The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
MetLife, Inc. is the holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, or MetLife, for short, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, annuities, and employee benefit programs, with 90 million customers in over 60 countries...
became an important client, with near-continuous expansion of their Neoclassic
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
600 Stockton Street location in San Francisco from 1914 through 1919 (the building now houses a Ritz-Carlton
Ritz-Carlton
The Ritz-Carlton is a brand of luxury hotels and resorts with 75 properties located in major cities and resorts in 24 countries worldwide...
hotel.) In 1923, after working full-time on the Castro Theatre
Castro Theatre
The Castro Theatre is a popular San Francisco movie palace which became San Francisco Historic Landmark #100 in September 1976. Located at 429 Castro Street, in the Castro district, it was built in 1922 with a Spanish Colonial Baroque façade that pays homage—in its great arched central window...
project, Pflueger was given full partnership with Miller.
Miller moved to Burlingame
Burlingame, California
Burlingame is a city in San Mateo County, California. It is located on the San Francisco Peninsula and has a significant shoreline on San Francisco Bay. The city is named after diplomat Anson Burlingame. It is renowned for its many surviving examples of Victorian architecture, its affluence, and...
in the 1920s with his wife Florence G. Miller. Miller retired in 1937 at age 68.