Theodore Augustus Eisen was born on July 10, 1852, in Cincinnati, Ohio.[1][2] His father, Augustus Ferdinand Eisen (1824-1870), was a Swedish-born immigrant to the United States.[2] His mother, Babette Eisen, was a Prussian-born immigrant.[2] After living in Ohio, they settled in San Francisco, California, where Theodore grew up.[2]
Eisen became an architect in Los Angeles, California, in 1887.[1] He opened a practice with Sumner Hunt in 1895.[3] They designed mansions near Chester Place.[3] In 1892, they designed the Froebel Institute, later known as Casa de Rosas.[3] They also designed several mansions on West Adams Boulevard in the Craftsman and Tudor Revival architectural styles.[3] They planned design the Posey House for Sara Posey and her husband, Oliver Posey, a mining businessman, with touches of Gothic Revival, Moorish Revival and Spanish Revival styles.[3] However, as the Poseys's wealth declined, the project was shelved.[3] Instead, St Vincent's Church was built two decades later, thanks to a gift from the Doheny family.[3]
1895, J. W. Robinson's Boston Dry Goods Store (forerunner of a large regional department store chain), 239 S. Broadway (Los Angeles),[4][5] and its annex at its back facing Hill Street, opened in 1908.[6]
From 1895 to 1910, Eisen designed the "El Alisal", also known as the Lummis House, for Charles F. Lummis.[7] It is located at 200 East Avenue 43.[7]
Eisen married Annie Bennett (1858-1932), an Australian-born immigrant to the United States.[2] They married in San Francisco, California.[2] They were Episcopalians.[2] They had two son: Percy A. Eisen, who became a renowned architect in Los Angeles; and Dr. Edward George Eisen.[2]
Eisen died on March 14, 1924, in Los Angeles, California.[1]
