1  

The  Robert  Pollard  House,  535  Higuera  Street  Application  for  Master  List  Status  

Owner  and  Applicant:  Jean  A.  Martin  

1.  Introduction  2.  Timeline  3.  The  Genealogy  of  535  Higuera  Street  4.  Early  Images  of  the  Norcross,  Pollard,  and  Jack  Houses  5.  The  Evolution  of  the  House  6.  Occupants  

The  Builder:  Robert  Pollard  Union  Founder  Franky  Pollard  and  Businesswoman  Jo  Pollard  Architect-­‐Builder  E.  D.  Bray  Banker  Pauline  Bray  Martin  

Introduction  

The  Robert  Pollard  House,  which  dates  from  1876,   is  one  of  a  cluster  of  three  of  San  Luis  Obispo’s  oldest  surviving  residential  wooden  structures  in  the  city’s  West  End  district.    

 Figure  1:  Pollard  House  façade,  2015  

The  other  two,  the  Norcross  House,  dating  from  1873  or  1874  (San  Luis  Obispo  Tribune,  25  April   1874),   and   the   Jack  House,   from  1878   (San  Luis  Obispo  Tribune,   27   July   1878),   are  both  in  the  Master  List  and  the  latter,  with  its  gardens,  in  the  National  Register  of  Historic  Places.  All   three  were  built  by  significant  San  Luis  Obispo  pioneers;  occupy   their  original  locations;   and   are,   in   their   street   appearance,   little   changed   from   the   time   of   their  construction.  A  passerby  of  1876  would  instantly  recognize  the  Pollard  House  today,  with  its   roof   sloping   toward   the   street,   a   separate   front   porch   roof   running   the  width   of   the  façade,   and   twinned   front   windows.   A   visitor   of   1876  would   find   the   same   doors,   door  hardware,  window  glass,  and  interior  arrangements  in  the  front  section  of  the  house.    

  2  

The  Pollard  House  appears  in  the  iconic  1877  engraving  Bird’s-­‐Eye  View  of  San  Luis  Obispo.   Its   absence   from   the   earliest   photographic   panoramas   of   the   city,   by   Thomas  Houseworth  and  Carleton  Watkins,  helps  us  date  both  of  those  works  to  1873–76.    

In  contrast  to  the  Italianate  Jack  House  and  carpenter  Gothic  Norcross  House,  both  two  stories,  the  Pollard  is  a  single  story  in  plain  ranch  house  style.  It  rivals  the  Jack  House,  however,   for   primary   and   secondary   documentation.   Only   two   families   have   owned   the  Pollard  House,  and  the  second  remained  in  close  communication  with  the  first.  

Not   only   did   County   Coroner   and   City   Clerk   Robert   Pollard   build   and,   for   the  remaining   thirty-­‐five   years   of   his   life,   occupy   the   house,   but   it   was   the   birthplace   and  residence  of  compositor  and  early  union  local  founder  Mary  Frances  “Franky”  Pollard  and  independent  businesswoman  Josephine  “Jo”  Pollard;  the  prominent  Central  Coast  architect-­‐builder   E.   D.   Bray   during   his  most   productive   San   Luis  Obispo   period;   and   Pauline   Bray  Martin  while  she  worked  as  the  first  woman  banker  in  San  Luis  Obispo.    

In  addition,  the  Pollard  House  and  property  are  a  physical  reminder  of  the  social  and  business  network  of  gentiles  and  Jews  in  late-­‐nineteenth-­‐century  San  Luis,  maintained  to  a  large  extent  through  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.      

  3  

Timeline    1832   Robert  Pollard  born  in  Richmond,  Virginia  August  16  1850–52   Merchant  Samuel  Adams  Pollard,  who  came  West  for  the  Mexican-­‐American  

War,  serves  as  postmaster,  county  recorder,  clerk,  deputy  treasurer,  district  attorney,  and  first  chair  of  the  board  of  supervisors  in  San  Luis  Obispo  

1852   Robert  Pollard  moves  to  the  county  at  his  brother  Samuel’s  urging;  sets  up  in  business  in  Cambria  

1861–65   Robert  Pollard  returns  to  Virginia  to  fight  in  the  Civil  War  1869   Tomas  Higuera  grants  deed  for  lots  on  Higuera  Street  to  John  Allan  July  17  1873   Robert  Pollard  elected  secretary  of  St.  Stephen’s  Episcopal  Church  in  San  Luis  

Obispo  and  appointed  to  committee  to  solicit  building  funds  1874   Robert  Pollard  marries  Jane  Chesney  1875   John  Allan  grants  deed  for  lot  on  Higuera  to  Max  Pepperman  September  15  1875   Robert  Pollard  installed  as  Noble  Grand  of  IOOF  Chorro  Lodge  (SLO)  1876   Mary  Frances  Pollard  born  in  April;  Max  Pepperman  grants  deed  for  Higuera  

Street  lot  to  Robert  Pollard  May  1  1877   Robert  Pollard  elected  county  coroner  1879   Robert  Pollard  elected  secretary  of  San  Luis  Obispo  Society  of  Pioneers;  

appointed  city  clerk  of  San  Luis  Obispo  March  3,  serving  till  March  21,  1881  1894   Mary  Frances  Pollard  hired  by  San  Luis  Obispo  Tribune.  Her  first  paycheck  pays  

for  a  dining  room  extension  to  the  house  1898   Pauline  Bray  born  1902   Mary  Frances  Pollard  co-­‐founds  International  Typographical  Union  Chapel  576  1909   E.  D.  Bray  moves  his  design  and  construction  business  from  Santa  Maria  to  the  

City  of  San  Luis  Obispo  1911–30   E.  D.  Bray  designs  and  constructs  commercial  and  residential  buildings  in  San  

Luis  Obispo,  including  nine  in  the  Master  and  Contributing  Lists  1911   Death  of  Robert  Pollard    1912   Pollard  family  moves  to  Los  Angeles  1912–13   The  Joseph  Green  family  of  Green  Brothers  rents  the  Pollard  House  till  E.  D.  Bray  

builds  them  a  house  1913–16   The  Euer  family  rents  the  Pollard  House  1916   E.  D.  Bray  purchases  the  Pollard  House  1917   Pauline  Bray  graduates  from  high  school,  works  briefly  for  District  Attorney  

Charles  A.  Palmer,  and  at  his  recommendation  is  hired  by  Commercial  Bank  as  first  woman  in  banking  in  San  Luis  Obispo  

1918   Pauline  Bray  becomes  the  legal  owner  of  the  Robert  Pollard  House  1927   Pauline  Bray  marries  Gene  Martin  1933   Pauline  Bray  Martin  retires  from  banking  1934   Jean  A.  Martin  born  1935   E.  D.  Bray  leaves  the  Pollard  House  and  Pauline  Bray  Martin,  Gene  Martin,  and  

Jean  Martin  move  into  it  1956   Jean  Martin  admitted  to  first  class  of  women  at  Cal  Poly  since  1930    1972   Death  of  Gene  Martin    1988   Death  of  Pauline  Bray  Martin  

  4  

The  Genealogy  of  535  Higuera  Street    The  land  that  would  eventually  hold  the  Norcross,  Pollard,  and  Jack  Houses  was  known  as  the  Fields  of  Carrasco  and  acquired  by  Tomas  Higuera,  descendant  of  a  De  Anza  Expedition  family  who  came  to  San  Luis  in  1855  (Betsy  Bertrando,  “Information,  as  requested,  for  the  house   located  at  546  Higuera  Street,”  no  date:  1).  The  1870  Harris  and  Ward  map  of  San  Luis  shows  a  large  section  on  the  north  of  Higuera  Street  sold  off  to  Calvin  Mills  (via  David  Mallagh),  but  Tomas  Higuera  retains  the  south  side  of  the  street  almost  to  Pacific,  with  M.  Henderson   and   one   Haley   owning   the   Pacific   Street   frontages.   Marsh   Street   has   yet   to  continue  beyond  Nipomo.  The  1874  Harris  map  of  San  Luis  shows  Norcross  in  possession  of  his  now  smaller   lot,  Higuera  owning   the   central  part  of   the  block  where  Marsh  would  eventually   run,   and  Higuera,   J.   Allan,   A.   Godoy,  H.  M.  Warden,   and  E.  M.  Day   owning   the  Higuera  Street  frontages,  with  Allan  owning  three  lots,  on  one  of  which  the  Pollard  House  was  to  be  built.  Max  Pepperman  bought  the  lot  from  John  Allan  15  September  1875.  

 

The  current  owner  of  the  Pollard  House,   Jean  Martin,  has  the   deed   transferring   ownership   of   the   50’-­‐wide,   300’-­‐deep  lot  from  Max  Pepperman  to  Robert  Pollard  for  $450,  signed   1   May   1876   and   recorded   8   May   at   twenty-­‐five  minutes   past   10   a.m.   by   County   Clerk   and   Recorder  Nathan   King.   Pollard’s   daughter   Franky   attested   to   its  being   in   the   hand   of   her   father,  who  was   deputy   county  clerk   at   the   time   (Frances   Pollard,   letter   to   Pauline  Bray  Martin,   17   July   1957).   Pepperman,   along   with   the  Sinsheimers  and  Goldtrees,  was  one  of   San  Luis  Obispo’s  thriving   community   of   Jewish  merchants   and   bankers   in  the   second  half   of   the  nineteenth   century,   being   the   first  businessman   on   record   in   the   city   to   merchandise   such  holidays   as   Valentine’s   Day   and   Christmas  with   San  Luis  Obispo   Tribune   advertisements.   From   1872   to   1877   he    bought  six  lots  in  the  city  from  various  owners.  

Figure  2:  Deed,  Max  Pepperman  to  Robert  Pollard,  1876.  Courtesy  of  Jean  Martin.  

In   1878   Pollard   and   Pepperman   were   both   elected   trustees   of   the   Chorro   Lodge   of   the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  or   IOOF,  a   fraternal  organization  that  welcomed  both  Christians  and  Jews.    

 Figure  3:  Pepperman’s  Valentine  advertisement,  San  Luis  Obispo  Tribune,  5  February  1870.  Courtesy  of  the  History  Center  of  San  Luis  Obispo  County.  

Pollard  bought  a  further  20-­‐foot  frontage  on  the  west  of  his  lot  running  from  Higuera  to  Marsh  Street  from  Isaac  Goldtree  on  27  January  1882  for  $100.  The  lot  extended  to  Marsh  

  5  

Street,  and  Pollard  farmed  it.  Franky  Pollard  told  the  house’s  second  owner,  Pauline  Bray  Martin,  that  she  and  her  sister  Josephine  had  a  burial  for  one  of  their  dolls  on  the  property,  which  bordered  the  Catholic  Cemetery;  their  father  continued  to  plow  around  the  site,  thinking  it  was  a  real  grave;  and  they  never  told  him  for  fear  of  a  spanking  (Pauline  Bray  Martin,  letter  to  Louisiana  Clayton  Dart,  26  June  1969:  2).  On  February  24  ,  1879  the  San  Luis  Obispo  city  council  resolved  that  R.  E.  Jack  and  Robert  Pollard  be  granted  “the  privilege  to  tap  the  sewer  on  Marsh  Street,  for  the  purpose  of  irrigation,”  in  Jack’s  case  presumably  for  his  wife  Nellie  Hollister  Jack’s  famous  garden  (the  1880  census  lists  a  gardener  as  their  only  live-­‐in  servant)  and  in  Pollard’s  case  presumably  for  his  crops.    

According   to  Pauline  Bray  Martin’s  account   from  Franky  Pollard,   the  Marsh-­‐facing  section  was  sold  in  1902  to  Mrs.  A.  M.  Lilley,  shown  in  the  May  1903  Sanborn  map  of  San  Luis  Obispo.    

 Figure   4:   535   Higuera   Street,   San   Luis   Obispo   Sanborn   map,   May   1903.   Courtesy   of   the  History  Center  of  San  Luis  Obispo  County.  

Robert  Pollard  died   in  1911,  and   in  1912  his   family   left  San  Luis  Obispo   for  Los  Angeles,  renting   the   house   to   the   Jewish  merchant   Joseph   Green   (who   had   been   one   of   Pollard’s  pallbearers),   his   wife   Nell,   and   their   children   Kenneth   (“Pinky”)   and   Alva   (Pauline   Bray  Martin,   op.   cit.:1).   Joseph   and   Kenneth   were   both   principles   in   Green   Brothers   men’s  clothing   store,   a   longtime   San  Luis  Obispo   establishment   on  Monterey   and   later  Higuera  Streets.  They  moved   in  1913  when  E.  D.  Bray  completed  their  house  at  1042  Palm  Street  (since   demolished)   (Dan   Krieger,   “First-­‐Rate   Clothiers   Outfit   County’s  Men,”   Times   Past,  Tribune,  11  Dec.  2010;  Jean  Martin,  “E.  D.  Bray:  Architect  and  Builder  of  the  Central  Coast,”  La  Vista  2015:  92.).  The  family  of  a  railroad  man  named  Euer  lived  at  535  Higuera  till  1916,  when  Bray  purchased  the  house  and  moved  there  with  his  wife,  Bertie  Belle  Barnett,  and  children.  His  daughter  Pauline  Bray  soon  graduated   from  high  school,  went   to  work,  and  took  over  payments,  and  in  1918  ownership  was  transferred  to  her  name.  Her  mother  died  in  1934,  and  from  1935  until  his  death  in  1946,  E.  D.  Bray  lived  with  his  daughter  Leola  at  1027   Peach   Street,   while   the   Pollard   House   was   occupied   by   Pauline   Bray   Martin,   her  husband   Eugene   Martin,   and   their   one-­‐year-­‐old   daughter   Jean   Martin,   who   in   2016  continues  to  make  it  her  home.  

Early  Images  of  the  Norcross,  Pollard,  and  Jack  Houses  The  two  earliest  known  panoramic  photographs  of  San  Luis  Obispo,  the  Carleton  Watkins  view   from   early   1876   (Metropolitan   Museum   of   Art   1986.1189.79)   and   the   Thomas  Houseworth  view  from  slightly  before—both  taken  from  the  rise  near  the  western  end  of  

  6  

Higuera—show  the  Norcross  House  on  the  north  side  of  Higuera  and  nothing  to  the  west  of  it  on  the  other  side  of  the  street,  where  the  Allan  lots  were  in  1874  and  the  Pollard  House  would  later  be  built.    

In   the   1877   Bird’s-­‐Eye   View   of   San   Luis   Obispo   engraved   by   E.   S.   Glover   and  published  by  A.  L.  Bancroft  and  Company,  San  Francisco,  the  Robert  Pollard  House  appears  in   its   current   location   and   with   its   current   configuration   and   façade:   the   gables  perpendicular  to  the  street  and  the  roof  slope  descending  to  a  columned  porch.    

 Figure  5:  E.  S.  Glover,  Bird’s-­‐Eye  View  of  San  Luis  Obispo,  1877  (detail).  The  old  Jack  House  is  on  the  left,  the  Norcross  House  in  the  center,  and  the  Pollard  House,  with  an  outbuilding  behind,  on  the  right.  Courtesy  of  the  History  Center  of  San  Luis  Obispo  County.  

The  current  Jack  House  has  yet  to  be  built,  although  the  earlier  one  stands  directly  behind  it  on  Higuera.    

In   a   panoramic   photograph   taken   from  Cerro   San  Luis   circa   1885   from  about   the  same  angle  as   the  Bird’s-­‐Eye  View,   the   Jack  House  and  the  Robert  Pollard  House  are  both  visible,  with  the  Norcross  House  between  them  behind  trees.  The  one-­‐story  Pollard  House,  with   its  roof  sloping  toward  the  street,  covering  a  porch  along  the  full   front  of  the  house,  matches  both  the  appearance  in  the  Bird’s-­‐Eye  View  and  its  appearance  today.  

 Figure  6:  Panoramic  photograph  of  San  Luis  Obispo  from  Cerro  San  Luis,  circa  1885  (detail).  The   Jack   House   is   on   the   left   amid   trees,   the   Norcross   House   obscured   behind   trees   in   the  middle,  and  the  Pollard  House  surrounded  by  a  white  picket  fence  and  shaded  by  two  or  three  tall  trees  on  the  right.  Courtesy  of  the  History  Center  of  San  Luis  Obispo  County.  

   

  7  

The  Evolution  of  the  House  

The  Pollard  House  today  consists  of  a  front  section  whose  roofline  runs  parallel  to  Higuera,  with  a  gable  at  each  end,  and  a  rear  one  whose  roofline  runs  perpendicular  to  Higuera,  with  a  gable  facing  Marsh.  This  arrangement  is  similar  to  the  Norcross  House,  though  there  the  front  section   is   two  stories  and  back  section  was  originally  one  story,  and,  as  attested  by  the  Watkins  and  Houseworth  photographs  circa  1876  and  Glover  Bird’s-­‐Eye  View  of  1877,  both  sections  were  built  at  the  same  time.  In  the  Bird’s-­‐Eye  View,  only  the  front  section  of  the   Pollard   House   appears.   In   the   1903   Sanborn   map—absent   two   later

   

east   and   west   pushouts—the   house’s  footprint   is   largely   as   it   is   today,   a  structure,   twice   as   long   as   wide,   its  narrow   end   facing   the   street.   The   rear  section  was  added  in  parts  from  1894,  the  first   with   Franky   Pollard’s   first   Tribune  paycheck  of   twenty  dollars  (Pauline  Bray  Martin,   letter   responding   to   Telegram-­‐Tribune   Centennial   Edition,   7   August  1969).   The   exterior   wood   of   this  extension   is  visible   inside   the  cabinets  of  the  adjoining  kitchen  wall.  Figure   7:   The   Pollard   House   east   front  from   the   rear,   early   1900s,   with   a   bay  window   since   superseded   by   the   east  pushout   and   the   rear   dining   room  extension  built  1894.  

The   front   door   is   at   the   east   end   of   the  façade,  under  the  porch;  paired  four-­‐light  sash   windows   with   original   panes   and  muntins   are   set   to   right.   The   interior   of  the  façade  is  occupied  by  a  parlor,  with  no  separate  entry.  A  hallway  facing  the  door  runs   from   the   parlor   along   the   original  east  wall  past  a  bedroom  on  the  west  to  a  doorway   in   what   was   the   original   south  wall,  and  into  what  is  now  a  dining  room.  The   parlor,   front   bedroom,   and   hallway  comprise   the   house   seen   in   the   1877  engraving.   Comments   by   Franky   Pollard  suggest  part  of  the  hallway  was  a  kitchen.  In   the   rear  addition   to   the  house,  behind  the  front  bedroom,  is  an  additional  

 Figure  8:  1894  exterior  wall  inside  kitchen  cabinet.

bedroom  that  was  once  a  storeroom  with  an  external  entrance,  and  east  of  that  the  dining  room.   A   bathroom  was   added   behind   the   second   bedroom   and   new   kitchen   behind   the  dining  room  shortly  before  the  1903  Sanborn  map.    

  8  

The   original   house   is   20’   wide   and   24’   deep,   for   480   square   feet.   The  storeroom/bedroom  and  dining  room  addition  added  10  feet  to  the  rear  and  the  bathroom  and  kitchen  addition  a  further  10  feet,  for  400  square  feet,  and  the  east  pushout  247  square  feet.   The   original   house   has   10’4”   ceilings,   the   dining   room   9’10”   and   the  storeroom/bedroom  9’7”  ceilings  (suggesting  they  might  have  been  added  separately).  The  History  Center’s  next  Sanborn  map  from  April  1926  shows  a  pushout  on  the  east  wall;  this  includes  a  small  bedroom  in  front,  and  behind  it  extends  the  dining  room  east.  It  was  built  before   the   tenure  of   the  Brays,  probably  while   the  Pollards   still   lived   there.  For  his  daughter  Pauline,  E.  D.  Bray  built  a  china  cabinet  separating  these  two  rooms  circa  1918;  he  also  added  wainscot  paneling  to  the  dining  room  and  pilastered  wainscot  paneling  to  the  parlor,   as  well   as   extending   the   front  porch   columns   and   rafters   into   a  pergola,   the  only  change  to  the  façade  in  140  years.  A  closet  pushout  on  the  west  wall  between  the  bedrooms  was  also  added  during  the  Bray  period,  when  Pauline  Bray  was  earning  money  as  a  bank  employee.  

   

 Figure  9:  West  front,  2015,  the  parlor  window  in  front,  the  original  bedroom’s  twin  windows,  behind,   with   a   twentieth-­‐century   closet   pushout   shared   by   the   front   and   rear   bedroom  (originally  a  storeroom)  joining  the  original  house  with  the  rear  extension.    

  9  

           Figure   10:   Parlor,   looking   west,   with   E.   D.   Bray’s   pilastered   paneling.   Owner   Jean   Martin  stands   between   portraits   of   her   mother,   Pauline   Bray   Martin,   the   owner   from   1918,   and  father  Eugene  Martin.  Figure  11:  Hall,  in  a  straight  line  to  the  original  rear  wall  and  probable  rear  entrance,  now  the  door  to  the  dining  room,  added  in  1894.  

 Figure  12:  Dining  room,  with  E.  D.  Bray’s  wainscot  paneling  and  built-­‐in  china  cabinet.  

The  house  retains  many  original  windows  and  other  early  features,  such  as  button  light  switches.  Much  original  front  door  hardware  remains;  such  as  was  replaced  has  been  accessioned  into  the  collection  of  the  History  Center  of  San  Luis  Obispo  County.   In  1955–

  10  

56,   the  Martin   family   repapered   the   house   and   removed   eight   layers   of   paper   from   the  parlor   ceiling,  most   in   shades   of   red,   and   including   a   newspaper   reporting   on   President  Chester  Alan  Arthur’s  visit  to  San  Francisco  in  the  early  1880s.  Outlets  for  gas  lamps  were  discovered  at  that  time.  

Outbuildings   at   the   southwest   corner   of   the   Pollard   House   appear   on   the   1903  Sanborn  map  and  are  gone  by  1926,  replaced  by  a  garage  at  the  southeast  corner.  A  later  pasteover  on  the  map,  possibly  from  1930,  includes  a  cottage  near  the  southwest  corner  of  the  house,  which  remains  today.    

Pauline  Bray  Martin  writes,   “When  I   first  moved  here   in  1916,   the  street  out   front  was  just  a  dirt  road,  and  cattle  were  driven  by.  There  were  no  sidewalks,  and  there  was  a  little  picket  fence  across  the  front  of  the  lot.  In  1918,  1919,  or  1920,  I  do  not  know  which,  the  original  101  Highway  was  built  up  the  middle  of  Higuera  Street,  and  we  the  property  owners   had   to   pave   from   that   little   strip   to   our   sidewalk,  which  we  built”   (Pauline  Bray  Martin,  “Ye  Old  House  at  535  Higuera  Street,”  no  date).  

The  Builder:  Robert  Pollard  Robert   Pollard  was   born   in   Richmond,   Virginia   on   16   August   1832   and  moved  with   his  parents  to  New  Orleans,  where  he  was  educated  (“The  Passing  of  Robert  Pollard,”  San  Luis  Obispo  Tribune,  27  Jan.  1911:  4).  In  1852,  at  the  urging  of  his  elder  brother  Samuel,  he  came  to  California  via  Nicaragua.    

       Figures  13,  14,  and  15:  Robert  Pollard  as  a  young  man,  after  the  Civil  War,  and  as  an  old  man.  Courtesy  History  Center  of  San  Luis  Obispo  County.  

Samuel  Pollard,  who  had  taken  part  in  a  four-­‐thousand-­‐mile  march  from  Missouri  to  Monterrey   for   the   Mexican-­‐American   War   (Daily   Republic,   22   March   1888),   was   a  

  11  

 

ubiquitous   presence   in   local   government   in   the   early  American   years   of   San  Luis  Obispo,   serving   in   the  1850s  and   ’60s   as   the   first   chair   of   the   county   board   of  supervisors,   county   clerk   and   recorder   and   treasurer,  school   superintendent,   justice   of   the   peace,   district  attorney,  and  (as  owner  of  the  only  store  in  the  City  of  San  Luis   Obispo)   postmaster.   He   married,   firstly,   Captain  William   Dana’s   daughter   Josepha   Dana   de   Tefft   and,  secondly,   Maria   Antonia   Robbins,   widow   of   Leandro  Roman   Branch,   thus   allying   himself   with   three   of   the  major  pioneer  families  (“Samuel  Pollard,”  Cambria  History  Exchange,   http://cambriahistory.org/?p=252   [accessed   2  Feb.  2016]).  

Figure  16:  Samuel  Pollard.  Courtesy  of  the  History  Center  of  San  Luis  Obispo  County.  

Samuel   Pollard   in   his   late   years   became   a   source   for   local   history   of   the   early  American   period,  writing   dramatic   newspaper   accounts   of   the   events   he   had  witnessed,  including   the   first   American   trial,   where,   since   there   was   “only   one   other   man   in   town  besides  the  judge  and  myself  who  could  read  English[,  …  c]onsequently,  the  first  pleading  before   a   court   of   law   in   this   county   was   done   by   the   aforementioned   county   recorder–merchant–postmaster–deputy  treasurer–district  attorney.   I  had  never  opened  a   law  book  in  my  life”  (Joseph  Carotenuti,  “Samuel  Adams  Pollard,”  Journal  Plus,  Aug.  2011:  32).  

After   Robert   Pollard   arrival   in   the   county,   he   spent   some   years   at   Cambria   in  business.  During   the  Civil  War,   he  went  back   to   the  South  via  Panama  and   served   in   the  Washington  Artillery.  After  the  war  he  returned  to  San  Luis  Obispo  and  served  as  deputy  county   clerk   under   Charles   W.   Dana   and   Nathan   King,   assistant   postmaster   with   Jacob  Simmler,   then   as  deputy   assessor   and  deputy   recorder   (“The  Passing  of  Robert   Pollard”;  Pauline  Bray  Martin,  letter  to  Louisiana  Clayton  Dart:  1).  He  was  also  the  city  clerk  of  San  Luis   Obispo   1879–81   under   Mayor   W.   A.   Henderson.   Myron   Angel   writes   of   Pollard’s  election  as  county  coroner  in  1877,  the  year  after  he  built  the  house  on  Higuera,  beating  the  Republican   candidate   1,027   to   931.   Angel   also   notes   his   election   as   secretary   of   St.  Stephen’s  Episcopal  Church  in  1873  (land  developer  Chauncey  Phillips  was  treasurer)  and  his  presence  on  the  committee  of  three  (with  Judge  McD.  R.  Venable  and  M.  Henderson)  to  solicit  funds  to  build  the  church.    

  12  

 Figure   17:   Robert   Pollard   (right)   with   “Uncle   Henry   Loobliner”   (as   described   by   Frances  Pollard  on  the  back  of  the  photo),  Jewish  merchant  who  became  IOOF  noble  grand  two  years  after   Pollard’s   term   finished,   in   front   of   Loobliner’s   store   in   San   Luis   Obispo,   circa   1890.  Courtesy  of  the  History  Center  of  San  Luis  Obispo  County.  

Angel  includes  Robert  Pollard’s  installation  as  Noble  Grand,  the  highest  office  of  the  IOOF’s  Chorro  Lodge,  in  1875  and  his  election  as  founding  secretary  of  San  Luis  Obispo’s  Society  of  Pioneers  in  1879  (Myron  Angel,  History  of  San  Luis  Obispo  County  [Oakland:  Thompson  and  West,   1882]:   160,   282,   197,   209).   Pollard  was   also   involved   in   the   crude  oil   and   asphalt  business   in  Edna  Valley   (Pauline  Bray  Martin,   letter   to  Louisiana  Clayton  Dart:   2).  There  was  previous  evidence  of  an  asphalt  drive  leading  to  a  carriage  house  on  the  property.  He  also  appears,   from  a  photograph  inscription  in  the  History  Center,   to  have  had  a  ranch  in  the  area  of  Arroyo  Grande.  A  brand  for  Robert  Pollard  is  registered  in  1877.  

In   1874   Pollard  married   Jane   Chesney   of   Somerset,   Kentucky,   then   thirty-­‐four,   in  Paso  Robles.    

  13  

           Figure  18:  Robert  Pollard’s  brand.  Courtesy  of   Jean  Martin.  Figure  19:   Jane  Chesney  Pollard  about  the  time  of  her  marriage.  Courtesy  of  the  History  Center  of  San  Luis  Obispo  County.  

       Figure  20:  Frances  Pollard  on  ground  on   left,  Robert  (standing)  and  Jane  Pollard  (seated   in  chair)   in  the  center,  behind  535  Higuera  (at   left)   looking  toward  Cerro  San  Luis.  Figure  21:  Siblings  Harry  (seated  left)  and  Frances  and  Josephine  (standing),  circa  1920s.  Courtesy  of  the  History  Center  of  San  Luis  Obispo  County.  

They  had  three  children:  Harry,  Frances  (Franky),  and  Josephine  (Jo).  Franky  was  born  the  month  before  Robert  Pollard  purchased  the  property  on  Higuera.  After  thirty-­‐five  years  of  residence   in   the   house,   Robert   Pollard   died   and   received   his   obsequies   there,   and   was  

  14  

buried  in  the  IOOF  cemetery,  his  pallbearers  including  such  notables  as  George  McCabe  and  August  Vollmer,  as  well  as  Joseph  Green,  who  would  be  the  next  occupant  of  his  house  (“A  Pioneer’s  Funeral,”  Tribune,  [?]  Jan.  1911).   Jane  Chesney  Pollard’s  remains  were  returned  to  San  Luis  Obispo  for  burial   in  1920,  when  her  pallbearers   included  George  McCabe  and  Morris  Green,  another  principle   in  Green  Brothers.  Robert  Pollard  and  his  wife  and  three  children  are  all  buried  in  the  IOOF  cemetery,  also  known  as  San  Luis  Cemetery.  

         Figures  22  and  23:  Pollard  family  markers,  San  Luis  Cemetery  

Franky  and  Jo  Pollard  

Mary   Frances   Pollard   was   born   in   April   1876,   her   sister   Josephine   in   January   1878.  According   to   Pauline  Bray  Martin,   Franky  Pollard  worked   as   a   “printer”   for   the  San  Luis  Obispo  Tribune  and  claimed  to  have  earned  her  first  paycheck  from  the  newspaper  in  1894  (Pauline  Bray  Martin,   letter  responding  to  Telegram-­‐Tribune  Centennial  Edition,  7  August  1969).  In  the  1900  census  of  the  Pollard  House,  however,  both  she  and  her  sister  are  listed  as   milliners,   along   with   a   twenty-­‐eight-­‐year-­‐old   lodger   in   the   house,   Anne   Fairbanks.  Perhaps   this  was  because  of   a  break   in  Franky’s  Tribune  work.  The  San  Luis  Obispo  City  and  County  Directory  of  1901  (J.  M.  Deeds)  lists  Josephine  as  a  milliner  and  her  sister  as  a  compositor,  and  on  27  December  1902  Mary  F.  Pollard  was  the  only  woman  with  six  men  who  was  a  signer  of  the  charter  of  one  of  San  Luis  Obispo’s  earliest  union  locals,  Chapel  576  of   the   International   Typographical   Union.   The   charter   still   hung   in   the   newpaper’s  composing   room   in   1969   (San   Luis   Obispo   County   Telegram-­‐Tribune,   7   August   1969).  Pollard  worked  for  the  Tribune  under  Benjamin  Brooks,  who,  from  1886  to  1922,  was  the  longest  serving  editor  and  owner  of  the  newspaper  (David  Middlecamp,  “The  Storied  Life  of  a  Tribune  Owner,”  Photos  from  the  Vault,  Tribune,  13  May  2012).    

  15  

             Figures  24  and  25:  Mary  Frances  Pollard  circa  1900  and  Jo  Pollard  circa  1920s.  Courtesy  of  the  History  Center  of  San  Luis  Obispo  County.  

Leaving  San  Luis  for  Los  Angeles  with  her  mother  and  sister  in  1912,  Franky  worked  for   the   Germaine   Seed   Company   for   twenty   years   and  moved   to   Santa   Barbara   in   1961,  dying   in  1967  at   the  age  of  ninety.  She  contributed   to   the  Telegram-­‐Tribune’s  Centurama  feature,  celebrating  the  hundredth  anniversary  of  San  Luis  Obispo  cityhood,  in  May  of  1956  (“Frances  Pollard  Reminisces  over  Old  Times,”  Telegram-­‐Tribune,  Apr.–May  1956).    

Franky’s  younger  sister  Jo  owned  a  millinery  store  in  the  Charles  Johnson  Building  on  Chorro  Street  between  Monterey  and  Higuera,   “the  handsome  display   in   the  windows  inevitably  arresting  the  attention  of  every  passerby[,  …]  the  fabrics  choice  and  the  fashions  of   the  very   latest,”  according   to  an  article   in   the  Tribune   (“The  New  Millinery  Store,”  San  Luis   Obispo   Tribune,   no   date).   Both   sisters   continued   to   visit   San   Luis   Obispo   and   the  Pollard  House  during  summers  while  the  Martins  were  in  residence.  “I  know  you  love  the  old   home   as   I   do,”   Frances   Pollard  wrote   to   Pauline  Bray  Martin   in   1957   (Mary   Frances  Pollard,  letter  to  Pauline  Bray  Martin,  17  July  1957).  Architect-­‐Builder  E.  D.  Bray  

“Egbert   Delaney   Bray   was   among   the   prominent   self-­‐made   architects,   engineers,   and  contractors  who  made  the  towns  of  the  Central  Coast  in  the  early  twentieth  century”  (Jean  Martin:   83–94).   Bray   was   born   in   Crawford   County,   Missouri   in   1868.   His   family   was  associated  with   the  Hearsts  and  moved   to  Cambria  when  he  was  nine.  They  also   lived   in  Arroyo  Grande.  E.  D.  Bray’s   father  was   a   carpenter,   and  E.  D.   trained  with   relations  who  were  carpenters  in  the  Los  Angeles  area,  including  for  the  movie  studios  (ibid.).    

After  his  1893  marriage  he  moved  first  to  San  Luis,  where  Pauline  Bray  was  born  in  1898,   and   then   Santa   Maria,   where   he   started   his   business   as   a   builder,   contractor,  engineer,  and  architect.  His   late  Arts  and  Craft–style  buildings  were  noted   for   fine  detail,  and  he  had  numerous  wealthy   families  among  his  clients.  Bray  studied  with   the  San   Jose  

  16  

architects  Frank  Delos  Wolfe  and  Charles  McKenzie,  a  number  of  whose  buildings  are  in  the  National  Register  of  Historic  Places.  McKenzie  designed  the  Master  List  Barneberg  House.  

Annie  L.  Morrison  and  John  H.  Haydon’s  1917  History  of  San  Luis  Obispo  County  and  Environs   credits   Bray   with   fifty-­‐seven   buildings   in   Santa   Maria,   including   prominent  houses,  four  business  blocks,  the  Christian  Church,  and  Masonic  Temple.  In  1909  he  moved  his  business  to  San  Luis  Obispo,  where  he  specialized  in  residential  architecture,  including  mansions,  apartment  buildings,  and  modest  bungalows.    

 Figure  26:  E.  D.  Bray  (in  suit)  and  his  construction  crew  in  front  of  the  Wilkinson  House,  412  Marsh  Street,  1915  (detail).  Courtesy  of  the  History  Center  of  San  Luis  Obispo  County.  

Bray’s  buildings  are  instantly  recognizable  for  their  interior  craftsmanship,  exterior  touches   like   cut-­‐outs   in   exposed   rafters   under   eaves,   and   their   gracious   proportions.  Prominent   Bray   buildings   in   San   Luis   Obispo   include   the   Crossett   House   and   Righetti  Apartments   (both   in   the  Master  List);  1346  Morro,   the  Robasciotti  Houses   (862  and  872  Toro),  the  Wilkinson  House  (412  Marsh),  and  the  Emery  House  and  Todd  House  (1176  and  1190  Pismo),  all  in  the  Contributing  List;  and  the  Wickenden  House  at  Johnson  and  Higuera  (now  Matt  Kokkonen’s  office)  and  the  Easton  Mills  House  at  Johnson  and  Pacific  (now  the  Dorothy  D.  Rupe  Center  Hospice).  He  did  not,  however,  live  in  one  of  his  own  buildings.  He  purchased  the  Pollard  House,  made  minimal  changes  to  it  (mostly  inside),  and  transferred  ownership  of  it  to  his  daughter  Pauline  Bray  while  continuing  to  live  in  it  till  1935.  Banker  Pauline  Bray  Martin  

Pauline  Marguerite  Bray  married  Alford  Eugene  “Gene”  Martin,  the  son  of  Robert  Franklin  and  Henrietta  Newlove  Martin,  for  whom  Bray  built  a  grand  house  at  800  South  Broadway  in   Santa   Maria   that   later   served   as   the   Santa   Maria   Club   and   Landmark   Square.   (The  Newloves   had   discovered   oil   on   their   property   on  Mount   Solomon.)   Pauline,   graduating  from   San   Luis   Obispo  High   School   in   1917,  went   to  work   for   a   lawyer,   then   for   District  Attorney   Charles   A.   Palmer,   and   then   (when   Palmer   decided   not   to   run   again)   for   the  

  17  

Commercial  Bank,  one  of  two  banks  in  the  city.  Palmer,  president  of  the  Board  of  Education,  convinced  Mr.  Kemper,  a  member  of  the  board  and  cashier  of  the  bank,  who  had  decided  to  try  employing  a  woman,  to  hire  Pauline  Bray.    

Pauline  Bray  was  the  first  woman  to  work  in  any  bank  in  San  Luis  Obispo.  She  took  care   of   correspondence   and   remittances   from   other   banks,   made   up   the   deposits   for  Atascadero  founder  E.  G.  Lewis,  inspected  and  filed  checks,  managed  the  safe  deposit  vault  and   customers,   and   proved   all   transactions   at   the   end   of   the   day   before   the   other  employees  could  leave.  Her  salary  rose  from  $50  to  $140  per  month,  and  by  the  time  of  her  retirement   in   1933,   there  were   seven  women  working   at  what   had   become   the   Security  First   National   Bank.   Pauline   Bray’s   portrait   hangs   in   San   Luis   Obispo’s   City   Hall   as   a  founding   mother,   representing   a   generation   who   pioneered   work   for   women   in   the  financial  sector.  Bray  also  sang,  played  the  piano,  and  performed  in  radio  theater  on  KVEC.  She  also  sang  in  the  different  choral  societies  and  churches  and  entertained  in  prominent  homes  throughout  the  city,  singing,  playing  the  piano,  and  performing  clean  comedy.  

In   1927   Pauline   Bray   married   Eugene   Martin   of   Santa   Maria,   who   became   plant  superintendent  for  Shell  Oil.  Their  daughter  Jean  Martin  was  born  in  1934,  and  in  1935  the  family  moved  to  535  Higuera  Street.    

             Figure   27:   Pauline   Bray   and   two   nieces   in   front   of   the   Pollard   House   looking   toward   the  Norcross   House,   early   1920s.   Courtesy   of   Jean  Martin.   Figure   28:   Gene   and   Jean  Martin   in  front  of   the  Pollard  House,   the  Henry  House  visible  at  the   left,  1937.  Courtesy  of   the  History  Center  of  San  Luis  Obispo  County.  

Eugene  Martin   continued   to   live   in   the   house   till   his   passing   in   1972   and  Pauline  Bray  Martin  till  her  passing  in  1988.  Jean  Martin—member  of  the  first  women’s  class  at  Cal  Poly,  local  teacher  for  thirty-­‐nine  years,  and  prominent  local  historian—continues  to  live  in  the  house  and  maintain  its  historic  features.  

Application  prepared  by  Jean  Martin  and  James  Papp