The Wisnom block venerates historical family's impact

At age 18, he sailed for America by way of New Zealand, finally landing in San Francisco in 1866. Two years later he moved down the Peninsula to help build the famed Baywood Mansion of John Parrott, one of the most renowned estate houses in the west. He apparently fell in love with the area. Two years later on a trip to Ireland, he fell in love again, this time with Sarah Donnan. Robert Wisnom married Sarah Donnan, quickly returning to San Mateo for good.

When Robert Wisnom first founded his lumber and building business on B Street in 1873, its primary function seemed to be supplying lumber for his own various building projects.

Wisnom's impact on the community emerged quickly, enduring to the present day. He invested in several city properties, while he and Sarah became active in the First Congregational Church.

He helped to organize city's first bank, the Bank of San Mateo, which eventually merged into A.P. Giannini's Bank of Italy. In the 1890s, he constructed several buildings, including the famed Victorian houses of William and Dennis Brown, which still stand side by side on Delaware Street. When incorporation came to San Mateo in 1894, Wisnom joined Captain A. H. Payson as one of the original city trustees. His most endearing contribution to the community, however, might have been the reconstruction of Library Hall, once the most important building in San Mateo.

A true community project, the original Library Hall stood on the site of the Old City Hall building at 223 B St. In those days it faced east, fronting Main Street where the parking garage stands today. Completed in 1885, Library Hall became the cultural center of San Mateo. It featured a library, a cigar store and several lodge rooms. A disastrous fire in 1887, however, razed the beloved hall from the city.

From $8,890 in donations raised from the community, Robert Wisnom constructed Library Hall II in 1894, at the same site as the original. For the next 12 years the Hall resumed its status as the center of community life, accommodating not only the Library, but city offices, a public hall, a livery stable, and the fire department as well. Unfortunately, Library Hall II would not

endure. The infamous earthquake of 1906 destroyed the two-story brick building. Eight years later the current building at 223 B arose, serving as City Hall for the next twenty six years.

Robert Wisnom died Nov. 20, 1918 of blood poisoning, after a long illness. On the day of his funeral, all the stores in town closed, while the sanctuary of the First Congregational Church overflowed with mourners. His wife, Sarah, later donated the first pipe organ to the church.

Robert and Sarah saw seven children grow to maturity, including two daughters - Jane (1876-1963) and Anna (1884-1968) - and five sons. A third daughter, Margaret, died when only a few months old. By the time of the patriarch's death, the five Wisnom sons - John, Robert J., William, Samuel, and David - pursued careers of their own.

Contrary to popular conception, a Wisnom Hardware Store never existed at the site of the Wisnom Building, at 100 S. B St. In 1905, Robert J. Wisnom (1875-1952), William Wisnom (1884-1968), and wholesale hardware dealer Robert Bonner opened Wisnom-Bonner's Hardware store. It stood on the southwest corner of Wisnom Block, however, at Second and Ellsworth avenues, where the First Watch restaurant resides today. By 1924, Bonner left the business, and the hardware store became known simply as "Wisnoms.”

In the first days, the business featured primarily building supplies, along with kerosene, tin plates and cups. In the 1920s, they sold and serviced a small fleet of Dodge automobiles. Robert J. apparently numbered among the millions of law biding citizens who did not adhere to the Eighteenth Amendment. During Prohibition, local legend says Wisnom stored bootleg alcohol in kegs in a barn behind the store. Later, the Wisnoms would market stoves, refrigerators, phonographs, and 78 rpm records - sold with the use of listening booths located in the store.

In the meantime, Samuel Wisnom (1887-1948) became a contractor in San Francisco, and used his skills to further secure the Wisnom Block for posterity. He built the grandly ornamental, two-story stucco building on the corner of B Street and Baldwin Avenue, where Ristorante Capellini at 310 Baldwin Ave. stands today. Samuel Wisnom also constructed the Greek Revival building on the corner of Second Avenue and B Street., which for years accommodated the First National Bank of San Mateo.

As for the Wisnom Building itself, the records are sketchy. Although the San Mateo County Historic Association's 1989 building survey suggests a Wisnom may have built it. However, no one knows for sure, and the Wisnom family does not even own it. Nevertheless, its name sign on the parapet - Wisnom Building, 1907 - serves as another reminder of the Wisnom's substantial impact on the city.

Wisnom’s Hardware remained at Second and Ellsworth avenues until 1958, six years after Robert J. died. The Hardware Store returned to 130 S. B St., just south of the Wisnom Building. The elder son, Robert F. Wisnom, took over as president of the company until his death of a heart attack in 1967. Robert J.'s younger son John D "Jack" Wisnom assumed the helm, until it eventually came to Jack's daughter Susan, and her husband Dick Nelson. After 24 more years on B Street, Wisnom's Hardware moved to its present location at First Avenue and Delaware Street  in 1982.

The trademark craftsmanship can still be seen on historic buildings throughout San Mateo. It is found in the Spindle work frieze and the fish scale siding of the William Brown House. It is evident in the prominent gables of the Dennis Brown House, the stucco relief work of 310 Baldwin St., and the stately pilasters of the First National Bank building. From the long extinct

Baywood Mansion, to the Wisnom-Bonner Hardware store on Ellsworth Avenue, to the familiar Wisnom Hardware store on First Avenue and Delaware Street, now celebrating its 95th year. The imprint of the family Wisnom remains one of the most distinct in San Mateo.

Sources: San Mateo County Historical Association Archives, The Wisnom Family