Biographical Note

Residential architect Herman Brookman was born July 2, 1891 in New York City, the son of Jewish immigrants. He began work as an office boy in 1909 for the firm of Albro and Lindeberg and learned the practice of architecture. When the partnership dissolved in 1914, Brookman continued to design fine houses and country estates with Harrie T. Lindeberg until 1923. M. Lloyd Frank, a partner in the Meier & Frank department store, recruited Brookman in 1923 to design a country estate for him. The Frank estate, dubbed Fir Acres, was completed in 1925 and is considered a masterpiece, reflecting English country style with Brookman's unique accents. The house and parts of its garden are now a centerpiece of the Lewis & Clark College campus in Portland, Oregon and are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Fir Acres was one of several Brookman designs that incorporated metalwork by Oscar Bach (1884-1957). Brookman also designed for Frank's partner, Julius Meier, a country retreat called Menucha, which is now a conference center. In 1927 the architect designed a new structure to replace the burned Temple Beth Israel in Portland. Over the rest of his career Brookman designed a series of fine homes, moving towards a modern style in the 1940s. He is considered one of Portland's most important residential architects and was active in the Oregon chapter of the American Institute of Architecture. He continued to work in Portland until 1965, when he retired to California. He died Nov. 6, 1973.