Robert Brown Young
Robert Brown Young (April 1, 1854 – January 29, 1914) was a Canadian-born architect who designed numerous buildings in California, particularly in downtown Los Angeles.
Robert Brown Young

James Miller Guinn · Guinn, James Miller (1915) A History of California and an Extended History of Los Angeles and Environs: Also Containing Biographies of Well-known Citizens of the Past and Present (Public domain ed.) · Public domain
- Name
- Robert Brown Young
- Born
- 1 April 1854
- Birthplace
- Huntingdon County, Quebec, Canada
- Died
- 29 January 1916
- Place of death
- Los Angeles, California, United States
- Spouse
- Mary C.
- Nationality
- United States · Canada
- Occupation
- architect
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Documentary summary
Robert Brown Young (April 1, 1854 – January 29, 1914) was a Canadian-born architect who designed numerous buildings in California, particularly in downtown Los Angeles.
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wikidata · Q19666511 · wikipedia · Robert Brown Young
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Robert Brown Young • Born — 1 April 1854 • Birthplace — Huntingdon County, Quebec, Canada • Died — 29 January 1916 • Place of death — Los Angeles, California, United States • Spouse — Mary C. Wilson • Children — 2 • Parents — Mary Ann (Dowler) Young Alexander Young
Life
Life
Robert Brown Young was born in Huntingdon County, Quebec, on April 1, 1854, to Alexander and Mary Ann (Dowler) Young. As a youth, Young attended Huntingdon Academy. In 1877, he moved to Denver, Colorado, where he finished his education in construction and architectural drawing. He then left for California, locating in San Francisco for two months before arriving in Los Angeles in the fall of 1878, where he opened an architect and general contractor practice. Los Angeles at that time was a thriving city of about 10,000, with only two other architects as residents. Within a short time, demands for plans and architectural drawings exceeded what Young could handle, and so he gave up contracting entirely to focus on architecture. At one point during this building "boom", Young had 87 different buildings under construction. Young was the resident architect of the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, and he built many Catholic churches and schools in the diocese of Los Angeles and Monterey. He also served as president of the Southern California Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. In 1880, Young married Mary C. Wilson. They had two children: Frank Wilson Young and Mary Elizabeth Young Moore. Frank joined his father in the family business, and continued the business under the name of R. B. Young & Son after his father's death. Young died at his home in Los Angeles on January 29, 1914.
Extant
Extant
• Broadway Theater and Commercial District • O. T. Johnson Block (1895), de-listed in 2002 • O. T. Johnson Building No. 2 (1905), LAHCM No. 1125 • J. E. Carr Building (1909) • Barker Brothers Building (1909) • Palace Theater (1910), LAHCM No. 449 • Lankershim Building on 7th Street (1891) • Gebhard Building (1900) • Empire Theatre (1905) • Young Apartments (1911) • Boos Brothers' Cafeteria (1916)
Demolished
Demolished
• Illustration — Hollenbeck Hotel • Hollenbeck Hotel (1884) • Lankershim Hotel No. 1 (1886) • Hotel Westminster (1888) • Burbank Theatre (1893) • Lankershim Building on 3rd Street (1897) • St. Mary's Church (1897-1923) • Lankershim Hotel No. 2 (1905-1980s), Broadway Theater and Commercial District, de-listed in 2002 • Hotel Rosslyn No. 1 • Occidental Hotel • Lankershim Building on Spring Street
Elsewhere in California
Elsewhere in California
• Illustration — California State Reform School • California State Reform School, Whittier, CHL No. 947 • Masonic Temple, Corona • Reynolds' department store, Riverside • St. Andrew's Catholic Church, Pasadena
Elsewhere
Elsewhere
• Yuma County Court House, Yuma, Arizona
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1854
Robert Brown Young was born on 1 April 1854.
1914
Robert Brown Young died on 29 January 1914.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Robert Brown Young”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q19666511: Robert Brown Young
General reference · Wikidata
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reference work
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General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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