George A. d’Hemecourt: The Man Behind the Map
George A. d’Hemecourt, Civil Engineer, Source: “History of San Diego, 1542-1908”, by William Smythe.
It’s a name you have probably seen before but can’t quite remember where. Civil Engineer George (G.A.) d’Hemecourt is immortalized on the grant deeds and parcel maps of approximately 6,200 properties in University Heights, typically as “UNIVERSITY HTS. D’HEMECOURT MAP AMENDED (MAP 558).”
Mr. d’Hemecourt was the Civil Engineer who prepared and filed the Amended Map of University Heights with the San Diego County Recorder in March 1900 under the direction of the College Hill Land Association.[i] The College Hill Land Association prepared the original University Heights Subdivision Map 558 which was filed with the County Recorder in August 1888. The Amended Map of University Heights of 1900 supersedes the map of 1888.
Amended Map of University Heights by George d’Hemecourt, March 1906
The Amended Map of University Heights includes approximately 6,200 parcels located between the 8, 163, and 805 freeways and Upas Street. If you own property in this area, chances are your grant deed and parcel map will bear Mr. d’Hemecourt’s name.
Mr. d’Hemecourt had other noteworthy accomplishments as well. In November 1900, he was hired as the City Engineer for the City of San Diego. In this capacity, he designed and built the Quince Street bridge in 1905 in Bankers Hill at the request of residents who wanted better access to the trolley stop on Fourth Avenue. This 236-foot-long trestle rises 60 feet above Maple Canyon between Third and Fourth Avenues. In 1987, the City of San Diego Historical Site Board voted to designate the footbridge as a historic site.[ii]
After leaving his position as City Engineer in 1907, Mr. d’Hemecourt resumed his practice as a Civil Engineer, specializing in Irrigation, Bridge Construction, and Surveying. In 1908, he served as engineer for the local state board of Harbor Commissioners; in 1919, he was employed as Civil Engineer for the San Diego Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Corporation; and in 1923, he served as the Inspector of Public Buildings for the San Diego School Board.[i]
Prior to moving to San Diego between 1894 and 1895, d’Hemecourt lived in Odgen, Utah with his wife, Julia, and son, Paul. He practiced architecture in Ogden and designed several buildings between 1889 and 1893 including the Odgen Medical and Surgical Hospital, Methodist Episcopal Church, and First Presbyterian Church. He also served as building inspector for Ogden. [iii]
George d’Hemecourt was born in Louisiana in October 1850 to French immigrants, Claude and Emilie Rochefort D’Hemecourt. He married Julia Phillips in Utah in 1889 and they had one son, Paul, in 1891. Sadly, Julia died in December 1898 of tuberculosis and Paul died in 1903. George remarried Ara Lee Walbridge in about 1903 but they later divorced. [iv]
Mr. d’Hemecourt died suddenly on October 23, 1923, at his residence in University Heights at 4244 Campus Avenue (the Sparks Apartments) and is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Mission Hills beside his first wife, Julia, and son, Paul. [i]
[i] Summary of Search for d’Hemecourt Field Notes from California State Lands Commission, File No. W.O. 211, November 9, 1948. Source: San Diego City Clerk.
[ii] The Journal of San Diego History, San Diego History Center Quarterly, Winter 2016, Volume 62, Number 1, One Hundred Years of Civil Engineering Excellence in San Diego. Digitized by the San Diego History Center at https://sandiegohistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Vol62_Winter2016.pdf.
[iii] Wayne L. Balle, Life, Career, and Designs of George A. d’Hemecourt, Ogden Utah, March 1993. Digitized by the Utah Department of Cultural and Community Engagement at https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6bg7pqs.
[iv] Source: FamilySearch Family Tree. Under license to MyHeritage.com [online database], MyHeritage Ltd. https://records.myheritagelibraryedition.com/research/collection-40001/familysearch-family-tree. Record: https://records.myheritagelibraryedition.com/research/record-40001-969920775/george-a-dhemecourt-in-familysearch-family-tree George A D'Hemecourt.