Tut-mania

 Posted by on May 9, 2013
May 092013
 

Originally the Title Insurance Company Building
130 Montgomery
Financial District

160 Montgomery Street

This lovely Art Deco building was built in 1930 by the O’Brien Brothers along with Wilbur D. Peugh.

O’Brien Brothers consisted of Walter J., Albert L. and Arthur T. O’Brien, and practiced in San Francisco from 1907 through 1935. They were architects with the Pickwick Corporation. In 1925, after the deaths of his brothers, Walter J. O’Brien began working with Wilbur D. Peugh; the firm ultimately became known as “O’Brien Brothers and Wilbur D. Peugh.”

Wilbur D. Peugh was born January 9, 1897 in Kelseyville, California. He attended High School in Modesto  before attending the School of Aeronautics at University of California, Berkeley in 1918. He then went on to get his degree in Architecture also at University of California, Berkeley in 1923. Prior to having his own firm, Peugh worked with Willis Lowe in San Fransisco from 1921‐1922, W.H. Ratcliff in Berkeley in 1923, Maston & Hurd in San Fransisco from 1924‐1925, and O’Brien & O’Brien from 1925‐1934. He served in the US Army Air Corps, was a member of AIA, and also was a member of the San Fransisco Chamber of Commerce. He died in 1953.

Peugh was an architect for the Pickwick Corporation along with the O’Brien Brothers. They practiced architecture in San Francisco during the first half of the twentieth century. The team was responsible for the design of many San Francisco buildings and two of their most important structures are this, the Title Insurance Company building on Montgomery Street and the Pickwick Hotel on Fifth Street. Three major buildings designed by Peugh individually are the Lurie Building at 417 Montgomery Street, the Equitable Life Building at 120Montgomery Street and the Pacific Mutual Life Building at 600 California Street.

Tut-Mania and Scarabs

The Art Deco movement had an Egyptian period to it.  Upon the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb America was swept with Tut-mania.  This is reflected in the scarabs that adorn the two sides of the entryway to 130 Montgomery.

Wilbur D. Peugh

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O'Brien Brothers

  3 Responses to “Tut-mania”

  1. I love this little Deco beauty!

  2. I’m a big fan of deco flourishes. Thanks for showing us this one. I imagine this building could get lost between its bruiser neighbors.

  3. This ‘sandwiched’ building is amazing! The Deco details are absolutely beautiful.

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