ABOUT THE ARCHITECT, W.D. VAN SICLEN (1865-1951)

Van Siclen's first
historical landmark,
the Itel Building in
Seattle, WA.

William Doty Van Siclen was born in Clearwater, Michigan, on April 29, 1865. He practiced architecture in San Jose, California from 1890 to 1896.

His work was primarily residential and in San Jose, he mastered the Queen Anne-style as a young architect in his late twenties. The Reed House is one of his first commissions, and within a year of coming to San Jose, he had designed such residential structures as Dr. Brownlee House at 754 South Third St. and the Pratt Home. In 1892, his prolific resume included the Hostetter house at 460 North Third St. and the Tognazzi Building at 261-264 North First St. Van Siclen was a contributor, in 1893 and 1895, of architectural drawings and competition designs to California Architect and Building News.

By August 1898, he and his wife and daughter were living in Sunrise, Alaska, but were still calling San Jose their home base.

In 1901, the Van Siclen’s moved to Seattle, where the prosperity associated with the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897 created a demand for architectural services. W. D. Van Siclen worked in the Seattle area until about 1925 when he relocated to Brownsville, Texas, where his work during the 1920’s consisted mainly of small commercial stores, clubhouses, apartments and residential work. He died in Brownsville on July 14, 1951.

The downtown area of San Jose hosts many homes that were designed by William Doty Van Siclen. Here are some examples:

Our home was the first built by Van Siclen when he arrived in San Jose which started a very successful career for the architect.
420 North 6th Street	4xx North 6th Street	3xx North 6th Street
3xx North 6th Street	36x North 6th Street	409 North 4th Street
449 North 4th Street	489 North 4th Street	515 North 4th Street
557 North 4th Street	496 North 5th Street	496 North 5th Street, side view
432 North 5th Street	383 North 5th Street
419 North 5th Street	429 North 5th Street	475 North 5th Street
483 North 5th Street	487 North 5th Street
	415 North 5th Street
Click here to learn more about the Steinbeck House

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