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CHEVRON REFINERY Historic Resource Evaluation Standard Oil Administration Building CHEVRON REFINERY Historic Resource Evaluation Standard Oil Administration Building Richmond, California Final Report January 4, 2012 WJE No. 2011.4544 Prepared for: Perkins + Will 185 Berry St., Lobby One, Suite 5100, San Francisco, CA 94107 Prepared by: Michael R. Corbett, Architectural Historian 2161 Shattuck Avenue #203 Berkeley, California 94704 Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. 2000 Powell Street, Suite 1650 Emeryville, California 94608 510.428.2907 tel | 510.428.0456 fax TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 1 Summary of Findings ............................................................................................................................. 1 Methodology .......................................................................................................................................... 1 DESCRIPTION............................................................................................................................................. 2 Setting ..................................................................................................................................................... 2 Building .................................................................................................................................................. 2 Plan .................................................................................................................................................. 2 Structure, Materials, and Infrastructure ........................................................................................... 4 Architecture ..................................................................................................................................... 5 DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY ................................................................................................................. 7 Historical Background ............................................................................................................................ 7 The Company ................................................................................................................................... 7 Richmond Refinery .......................................................................................................................... 8 Administration Building ................................................................................................................ 10 Historical Context ................................................................................................................................. 11 Development of Richmond ............................................................................................................ 11 Impact on Richmond ...................................................................................................................... 14 Architecture of the Standard Oil Company .................................................................................... 14 Designers ....................................................................................................................................... 16 G.W. Kelham, Architect ........................................................................................................ 17 H.J. Brunnier, Engineer ......................................................................................................... 18 EVALUATION........................................................................................................................................... 18 Summary of Findings ........................................................................................................................... 18 City of Richmond Historic Resource ................................................................................................... 19 California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR) ........................................................................... 20 National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) ...................................................................................... 22 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................................... 24 CHEVRON REFINERY Historic Resource Evaluation Standard Oil Administration Building Richmond, California INTRODUCTION At the request of Perkins + Will, on behalf of Chevron Products Company, Wiss Janney Elstner Associates Inc. (WJE), in conjunction with Michael Corbett, Architectural Historian has prepared a Historic Resource Evaluation of the Standard Oil Administration Building, located on the grounds of the Richmond Refinery, Richmond, California. This Historic Resource Evaluation has been developed in accordance with the requirements of the City of Richmond, and is intended to determine whether the structure qualifies as a historic resource under the criteria of Richmond‟s Historic Resource Code, and whether it may be eligible for inclusion in the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR), and the National Register of Historic Places (NRHR). Summary of Findings The Administration Building at the Richmond Refinery represents the transformation of the refinery from the old horse and railroad era to the new automobile era. It is significant in the architecture of the Standard Oil Company, presenting a powerful image of the role of the refinery in relation to the larger company. The Administration Building at the Richmond Refinery is eligible for the California Register at the state level under CRHR criteria 1 and 3. Similarly, it appears to be eligible for the National Register under criteria A and C of the NRHP at the state level. The Administration Building at the Richmond Refinery is eligible as a historic resource under Richmond‟s historic resource code, and by its eligibility for listing on both the CRHR and the NRHP. Methodology Site visits were made on the 7th and 23rd of November 2011. The current condition of the building was documented through field notes and photographs, and comparisons were made with the original plans to evaluate changes to the building over time. Research on the property has included journals and other sources at the Environmental Design Library of the University of California, architectural and engineering plans of the building, online newspapers and other sources, Standard Oil publications and photographs at the Richmond Museum of History, and photographs and clipping files at the Richmond Public Library. Efforts were made to see the building permit file at the city building department but the material could not be located. Research on the historical context has included research on the history of Richmond and the Standard Oil Company at the Richmond Public Library and the Richmond Museum of History; and research on the architect, the engineer, and the building type at the Environmental Design Library at the University of California. Information on the architect was also located at San Francisco Architectural Heritage. Gary Goss provided research in San Francisco newspapers and the Building and Engineering News. Chevron Refinery Historic Resource Evaluation Standard Oil Administration Building December 13, 2011 Page 2 DESCRIPTION Setting The Administration Building is located in the Chevron Refinery, formerly the Standard Oil Company, in Richmond. It is located at 841 Chevron Way within the fenced grounds of the refinery as part of a complex of three matching structures in a landscaped setting. The Administration Building sits next to the Laboratory Building, with a third building set back between them. The buildings are located just west of a curve in the road and all are oriented to the northeast, facing the flat area that was the location of the utilitarian structures of the refinery when it was first built. Most or all of those earliest structures are gone and today the Administration group faces a large parking lot. The Administration group is built on a raised terrace that slopes down to the street. The buildings are surrounded by a green lawn. A concrete sidewalk borders the street and a wide concrete stairway rises from the sidewalk to the front entrance of the Administration Building in two flights. The top flight is framed by granite pedestals with a bronze electrolier on each one. Building Plan The Administration Building occupies a rectangular footprint measuring 118 feet across the front and rear and 85 feet 9 inches on the sides. Although it would ordinarily be described as a three-story building — there are three principal floors above ground — there is also a full basement, partially dug into the sloping site, and an attic floor with offices and work spaces. In addition, there is a small elevator machinery floor in the penthouse. The basement and ground or first floor occupy the full rectangular dimensions of the footprint. The second and third floors are each in a U-plan with a central light court at the rear, measuring about 42 by 44 feet, exposing a section of the ground floor roof where large skylights originally lit the space below. The light court is off center so that the east wing (39 feet wide) is slightly larger than the west wing (37 feet wide). This asymmetry better accommodates an arrangement of the second and third floors with double-loaded corridors for a mix of private offices and special-use spaces in the east wing, and
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