Acronym
HJBA
Category
Company
Alternate Names
Brunnier
N. CA Established
1908
Year Closed
2020
Significance to Structural Engineering History in Northern California

H. J. Brunnier Associates was the longest continuously operating consulting structural engineering firm in California. The 23-year-old Henry Brunnier arrived in San Francisco on May 4, 1906 just two weeks after the massive 1906 San Francisco earthquake. He was on loan from his employer the New York Edison Company to the firm Ford, Bacon and Davis Engineers for United Railroads. His job was to help rebuild the streetcar system that had been destroyed by the earthquake and fire. Seeing the opportunity to provide consulting engineering services to help rebuild the devastated city, he opened his own practice on June 1, 1908. He remained in San Francisco for the next 63 years, establishing an engineering firm that helped design many of the City’s best known landmarks including 555 California Street (former Bank of America World headquarters), Standard Oil Building and Addition at 225 Bush Street, Shell Building, Russ Building, 111 Sutter Street, Mt. Davidson Cross among many others.

Through the years the firm has been responsible for structures of all types including multistory buildings, hotels, university and academic facilities, athletic facilities, hospitals, schools, churches, libraries, glass container manufacturing plants, food processing plants, correctional facilities, aircraft hangars, waste treatment facilities, marine facilities, newspaper plants, bridges and many others.

Related Engineer(s)