Jasper N. Preston

The Bell County Courthouse in Belton, designed by J. N. Preston & Son in the Italianate style and completed in 1885. The Driskill Hotel in Austin, designed by J. N. Preston & Son in the Richardsonian Romanesque style and completed in 1886. The second Los Angeles High School, designed by Preston in the Richardsonian Romanesque style and completed in 1890. At right, the annex to the Los Angeles Normal School, designed by Preston & Locke in the Richardsonian Romanesque style and completed in 1894. The former Coconino County Courthouse in Flagstaff, Arizona, designed by Preston in the Richardsonian Romanesque style and completed in 1895. The former Pacific College of Osteopathy in Los Angeles, designed by Preston & Seehorn in the Beaux-Arts style and completed in 1904. J. N. Preston (October 5, 1832 – December 8, 1922) was an American architect in practice in Austin, Texas and Los Angeles from 1875 until his retirement in 1907. During his lifetime he was one of the leading architects in Texas, and was responsible for major buildings in both states, including the Driskill Hotel in Austin, several Texas county courthouses and the second Los Angeles High School.

Life and career Jasper Newton Preston, known by his initials, was born October 5, 1832, in Ira, New York, to Samuel Preston, a farmer, and Rebecca Preston, née Sprague. In the winter of 1834–35 the family moved to Michigan, settling first in Lenawee County before settling permanently in Oneida Charter Township in Eaton County, near Lansing, in 1837. He was educated in the public schools and trained as a carpenter. After his marriage in 1857 he worked as a carpenter in Lansing and Grand Ledge, the largest community in the township. He first referred to himself as an architect in 1875, the same year he relocated to Austin.

In 1877 Preston formed the first of several partnerships, Preston & Ruffini, with Frederick Ernst Ruffini. This firm was responsible for the Williamson County Courthouse (1879) in Georgetown and was dissolved in 1878 over Ruffini's charges of unprofessional conduct against Preston. In November 1880, Preston was selected as supervising architect for the new Texas State Capitol. In April 1881, during the architect selection process for that building, Ruffini's allegations against Preston first became public, with Ruffini and a Mr. Loving, contractor for the Williamson County project, charging that Loving had paid a large bribe to Preston to obtain the contract. This forced Preston to resign as supervising architect. Nonetheless, he continued to be the city's leading architect. S. A. J. Preston died suddenly in 1889 at the age of 31, and the elder Preston continued alone. Circa 1890 he operated a second office in Tacoma, Washington, with August F. Heide under the name Preston & Heide. This partnership lasted only a year and Preston again worked alone until 1896, when he formed the partnership of Preston & MacKenzie with Don MacKenzie. This was dissolved before the year was out and he was alone again until 1900, when he formed another one-year partnership with Norman Foote Marsh. They were responsible for the house of Scott A. McKeown (1900) in Los Angeles. McKeown, the 23-year-old spendthrift heir of a Pennsylvania oilman and husband to a granddaughter of Peter Studebaker, lost the house almost immediately, and Preston and the general contractor, as lien holders, foreclosed on the property. It was not successfully sold until a year later. After dissolving the partnership with Marsh, Preston formed his fourth and last partnership, Preston & Seehorn, with Ira H. Seehorn. This firm was chiefly responsible for homes and other small projects. Preston retired from practice in 1907.

Preston had an active role in the organization of the architectural profession in both Austin and Los Angeles. In 1885 he and his son joined the Western Association of Architects (WAA), and in 1886 they participated in the formation of a state society of architects, of which Preston was the first vice president. He severed his connection with the AIA in 1895, but when a Southern California chapter was formed in 1907 he rejoined as a chapter member, and was elected a life member in recognition of his long career. 1895 – Coconino County Courthouse, 200 N San Francisco St, Flagstaff, Arizona

Preston & Locke, 1893–1894 1893 – Frank C. Bolt house, 395 S Grand Ave, Pasadena, California 1894 – Los Angeles Normal School annex, Los Angeles 1907 – Lew W. Irvine house, 3115 Brockton Ave, Riverside, California