(Excerpt from) The Men Behind Some of Tustin’s Best Buildings by Juanita Lovret
September 2, 2010 by Markus & Heidi Brown · Leave a Comment
Many carpenters worked in Tustin during its early years, although few records exist to show which houses they built. Fortunately, one of the men who advanced to contractor status, William H. Bowman, can be identified with numerous lovely homes and public structures. Bowman came to Tustin as a child. He apprenticed as a carpenter before going out on his own to build many of Tustin’s finest homes. One of his houses at 660 W Third St is considered by the City of Tustin Historical Survey to be among the best examples of Craftsman Bungalow architecture in Tustin.
Another of his early projects, a Craftsman built at 180 D St (El Camino Real) in 1913 for Emilie and Phillip Bergquist, also is included in the survey as is a home which he built on Pacific St. One of his later homes, a Tudor Revival built at the corner of Main St and Pacific St in 1930 for Roy C. Browning, is considered to be one of the finest examples of that architectural style in Orang County. Bowman also built a replacement Presbyterian Church in Mediterranean Revial style for $60,000 during the same time frame.
