Fred Ruhl

American California builder

Alma Merle Warren
​
(m. 1923)​
Children3

Fred Ruhl (August 27, 1876 – October 25, 1961) was an American master builder in Monterey County, California.

Early life

Ruhl was born on August 27, 1876, on a farm in Topeka, Illinois. His parents, Jesse Franklin Ruhl (1839-1920) and Harriet Upp (1839-1887). His father possessed carpentry skills but became a farmer. Growing up within the rural landscape, Ruhl received his education from local schools before becoming a carpenter.[1][2]

Career

In 1903, Ruhl moved to San Francisco, California, where he worked as a contractor with Frank Dowsett at the firm Dowsett and Ruhl.[3]

He became the building supervisor for the Pacific Improvement Company.[4] In 1924, Samuel F.B. Morse hired Ruhl to build a quadrangle-style of horse stables with an open rectangular interior courtyard in Pebble Beach.[5]

Front of the Flanders Mansion built by Ruhl in 1924/1925

The Outlands in the Eighty Acres, also known as Flanders Mansion, in Hatton Fields, was built by Ruhl in 1924/1925 for real estate developer Paul Aiken Flanders. The Flanders Mansion is an 8,000 square feet (740 m2) Tudor Revival house.[2][6][7]

The Ethel P. Young House was designed by architect Robert Stanton and built by Ruhl for Ethel Young, Stanton's mother-in-law, in 1926. It is located on southwest corner of Carmelo Street and 8th Avenue. The one-story wood-framed house is an example of Spanish Eclectic-style architecture.[2]

Personal life

Ruhl married Alma Merle Warren (1894-1981) on August 18, 1923, in Pebble Beach, California.[8] Ruhl played a role in the establishment of the Monterey County Builder's Exchange in 1928.[2]

Death

Ruhl died on October 25, 1961. He was buried at the El Carmelo Cemetery in Pacific Grove, California.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ Watkins, Rolin G. (1925). History of Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties, California: Biographical. Illinois: S.J. Clarke. p. 34. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "DPR 523 Forms Volume I A-69" (PDF). Department of Parks and recreation. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. October 14, 2001. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  3. ^ "Building Contracts, ETC". The Recorder. San Francisco, California. July 20, 1921. p. 8. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  4. ^ Neal Hotelling (June 2013). "Early Days at Pebble Beach" (PDF). Forest News. Pebble beach, California. p. 1. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  5. ^ Neal Hoteling (June 2014). "Forest News" (PDF). dmfpo.org. Pebble Beach, California. p. 3. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  6. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form". National Park Service. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. February 21, 1989. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  7. ^ "The Flanders Mansion Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS)" (PDF). City of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. March 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  8. ^ "San Jose Vital Statistics". Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California. August 20, 1923. p. 9. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  9. ^ "California, U.S., Death Index 1940-1997". Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics. Sacramento, California. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
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