John P. Gaynor (circa 1826–1888) was an Irish American architect practicing in New York City and San Francisco during the nineteenth century.

Life and career

John Plant Gaynor was born circa 1826 in Dublin, Ireland. He was the son of surveyor John P. Gaynor, and likely received his early architectural training in the architectural school of the

Royal Dublin Society The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) ( ga, Cumann Ríoga Bhaile Átha Cliath) is an Irish philanthropic organisation and members club which was founded as the 'Dublin Society' on 25 June 1731 with the aim to see Ireland thrive culturally and economi ...

. In 1849 he immigrated to the United States, and practiced architecture in Brooklyn and New York beginning in 1851. There he was best known for the design of the E. V. Haughwout Building, a cast-iron fronted building completed in 1857. In 1863 he relocated to San Francisco, where he designed several large hotels and office buildings, most prominently the original Palace Hotel, completed in 1875 and destroyed in 1906. Margot Gayle, "Gaynor, John P." in ''Macmillan Encyclopedia of Architects'', vol. 2, ed Adolf K. Placzek (New York: Free Press, 1982): 181. His clients included the financiers

William C. Ralston William "Billy" Chapman Ralston (January 12, 1826 – August 27, 1875) was a San Francisco businessman and financier, and the founder of the Bank of California. Biography William Chapman Ralston was born at Wellsville, Ohio, son of Robert Ralsto ...

and Asbury Harpending. Gaynor retired in the mid-1880s and retired to his home in

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

, where he died June 9, 1888."John P. Gaynor's Death" in ''Daily Alta California'', June 10, 1888.

Legacy

Gaynor frequently utilized cast-iron elements in his architecture, both in New York and San Francisco. His E. V. Haughwout Building in New York City, completed in 1857, was thought by preservationist Margot Gayle to be "The most celebrated of the cast-iron buildings still standing in New York City." He also designed the first cast-iron buildings in San Francisco. Though much of his work has been destroyed, several of his remaining buildings have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places.

Architectural works

* Halsey (Arbuckle) Building, 367 Fulton St, Brooklyn, New York (1856, demolished) * E. V. Haughwout Building, 488-492 Broadway,

New York, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...

(1856–57, NRHP 1973, NYCL 1965) * "

Belmont Belmont may refer to: People * Belmont (surname) Places * Belmont Abbey (disambiguation) * Belmont Historic District (disambiguation) * Belmont Hotel (disambiguation) * Belmont Park (disambiguation) * Belmont Plantation (disambiguation) * Belmon ...

" for

, Belmont, California (1865–68, NRHP 1966)Susan Dinkelspiel Cerny, ''An Architectural Guidebook to San Francisco and the Bay Area'' (Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith, 2007) * Oriental Block, Market and Battery Sts, San Francisco, California (1867, demolished) * Harpending Block, Market St, San Francisco, California (1869, burned and rebuilt 1871, destroyed 1906) * Grand Hotel, Market and New Montgomery Sts, San Francisco, California (1870, destroyed 1906) * Palace Hotel, 2 New Montgomery St, San Francisco, California (1873–75, destroyed 1906) * Savings and Loan Society Building, Clay St, San Francisco, California (1873–74, destroyed 1906) * Conservatory of Flowers,

Golden Gate Park Golden Gate Park, located in San Francisco, California, United States, is a large urban park consisting of of public grounds. It is administered by the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department, which began in 1871 to oversee the development ...

, San Francisco, California (1878, NRHP 1971) *

Phelan Building The Phelan Building is an 11-story office building located at 760 Market Street in the Financial District of San Francisco, California. It has a triangular shape, similar to the Flatiron Building in Manhattan, New York City, with its tip at the ...

, 760 Market St, San Francisco, California (1881, destroyed 1906)
Pen Pictures from the Garden of the World, or, Santa Clara County, California, Illustrated
', ed. H. S. Foote (Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, 1888) * Sharon Row, 1400-1412 Golden Gate Ave, San Francisco, California (1884)

Gallery of architectural works

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaynor, John P. Architects from New York City Architects from San Francisco 1888 deaths Irish emigrants to the United States Year of birth uncertain 19th-century Irish architects 19th-century American architects