An architect and bridge builder, Harvey Reid Leonard spent most of his professional life on the Pacific Coast. Born in Illinois, he seems to have used the names Harvey and Henry interchangeably, at least at first. The federal census of 1860 records him as a simply a carpenter in Sacramento, California, where he was living with his wife Amanda and infant son.
Between at least 1860 and 1869, Leonard partnered with other architects who were active in the city at the time. According to San Francisco city directories, he maintained offices at 432 Montgomery Street and, later, 240 Montgomery Street.
Between 1871 and 1873, Leonard was in Portland, Oregon, with offices located at the corner of 1st and Ash Streets. While in Portland, he designed an engine roundhouse and a railroad bridge. By 1882, he was back in California as an employee of the Pacific Bridge Building Company, specializing in railroad bridges.
It appears that, sometime after 1880, Leonard’s wife Amanda died and he remarried. Perhaps it was not a happy match, as his second wife, E. M. De Lisle, eventually divorced him on grounds that he had deserted her when he moved to Arizona.
H. R. Leonard relocated to Phoenix about 1890, probably with the intention of retiring. However, he found ample scope for his talents in the Salt River Valley and continued to work well into old age. In 1890, he was working with William Hancock to map sites for reservoirs. He designed a schoolhouse in Mesa in 1890 and one in Tempe in 1891.
Brick was a popular building material in Phoenix, as very little lumber was available locally. Initially, manufacturers used molds of different sizes. In January 1893, Leonard joined with several other Valley architects to call for the standardization of brick sizes.
On May 6, 1893, Leonard undertook a reclamation expedition to see about the feasibility of building a water reservoir for northwest Yuma County. It must have been an arduous undertaking for a man in or approaching his seventies.
In February 1894, concerns were expressed about the structural soundness of the Phoenix Opera House for an upcoming performance. Architects Leonard and Petit were appointed to examine the structure. Leonard ruled that the performance could proceed, but the building should be remodeled with more exits and safety features incorporated.
When H. R. Leonard died on February 2, 1896, of cirrhosis hepatitis at the age of 85, he was buried in City/Loosley Cemetery. There is no grave marker.
- by Donna Carr
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