Remillard Brothers
Remillard Brothers was a California brick-manufacturing business that became one of the largest suppliers of masonry materials on the Pacific Coast.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Remillard Brothers was a family-owned California brick-manufacturing enterprise established by three brothers who emigrated from St-Valentin near Napierville, Quebec, during and after the California Gold Rush. Pierre-Nicolas, commonly known as Peter, arrived in California in 1854 and initially worked in mining before moving to Oakland in 1861. He entered the brick trade as an employee, but within several years had become the owner of a brickyard. His brothers Philippe-Hilaire, known as Philip, and Edouard, known as Edward, subsequently joined him, creating the family partnership that developed into one of the most important brick producers in the American West. The enterprise's early base was in East Oakland, where a brickyard was operating by 1864. The brothers combined manufacturing with yards, distribution, and, for a period, contracting services for the building trade. In 1879 the business was incorporated as the Remillard Brick Company. It expanded through strategically placed facilities around the San Francisco Bay region, including operations in Oakland, Pleasanton, Greenbrae in Marin County, and San Jose. The San Jose yard, established in the early 1890s, employed more than 300 people, while the Greenbrae works operated for more than a century and became one of the company's most enduring industrial sites. At its height, Remillard was described as the largest brick manufacturer on the Pacific Coast. For roughly four decades it was reportedly the only brick manufacturer in Alameda County and supplied material for a very large share of the county's brick construction. Its distribution reach extended across the western United States and to Pacific islands. Remillard products were used in prominent Bay Area structures, including the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, Ghirardelli Square, and numerous Oakland buildings. The business also sold related construction materials, including cement, lime, cleaned sand, and plaster. The company's history was closely tied to the development and rebuilding of Bay Area cities. Its bricks were used in buildings erected before the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire and in subsequent construction. The Greenbrae kiln, a surviving industrial remnant associated with the company, is recognized as California Historical Landmark No. 917 and has since been adapted for a different commercial use. Members of the family also contributed to Oakland's civic and architectural history. Peter Remillard helped found the First Unitarian Church of Oakland, lived in the house now known as the Ashworth-Remillard House, and was commemorated by Remillard Park in Berkeley. After the deaths of the founding brothers in the early twentieth century, control passed within the family. Peter's daughter, Countess Lillian Remillard Dandini, became associated with ownership after the death of her uncle Philip and later inherited the enterprise. The family continued operating brick facilities for decades; the San Jose works are recorded as operating from approximately 1891 to 1968, while the Greenbrae brickyard had an operating history of about 103 years. The available historical material does not establish a single formal closure date for the overall business, but the brick-manufacturing operations are no longer active. Remillard Brothers is therefore best understood as a historical California industrial brand rather than a current commercial company.
History
The Remillard family's industrial history began with immigration from Quebec to California in the period surrounding the Gold Rush. Peter Remillard reached California in 1854, worked in mining, and accumulated enough capital to enter the Oakland brick trade. By 1861 he had moved to Oakland and taken employment at a brickyard. His rapid advancement from worker to proprietor provided the foundation for the family's later enterprise. Philip, who had learned brickmaking in Boston before traveling west, and Edward, who arrived from Quebec in 1859, joined Peter in California and formed a partnership. A Remillard brickyard was operating in East Oakland by 1864. The business grew from a local producer into a substantial manufacturing and distribution network. The brothers maintained an office and yard at Clay and Second Streets and a plant in the nearby Brooklyn area. They also provided contracting services and opened a large yard at Pleasanton in 1882. In 1879 the partnership was incorporated as the Remillard Brick Company, formalizing an enterprise that increasingly served the expanding cities around San Francisco Bay. Further growth came through facilities at Greenbrae in Marin County and San Jose in Santa Clara County. The Greenbrae works, located on the San Quentin Peninsula, became a particularly important long-lived site. The San Jose yard, established in the early 1890s, was a major operation employing more than 300 workers. The company manufactured bricks and distributed additional building materials, including cement, lime, sand, and plaster. Its scale allowed it to serve projects throughout the western United States and Pacific islands, and historical accounts characterize it as the dominant brick supplier in Alameda County for approximately forty years. Remillard materials went into many prominent structures in the Bay Area, including the old Palace Hotel in San Francisco, Ghirardelli Square, and numerous Oakland buildings. The company's role was especially significant during the region's nineteenth-century urbanization and later reconstruction. The surviving Greenbrae kiln is now recognized as California Historical Landmark No. 917, preserving evidence of the industrial landscape that supported San Francisco and Oakland's growth. The founders died within a relatively short period. Philip died in 1901 after a fall, Edward died in 1903, and Peter died in 1904 from a heart attack. Ownership and management subsequently remained within the family. Peter's daughter Lillian became a principal successor, with family members including her mother Cordule associated with continued operation. Lillian later became well known for preserving Chateau Carolands in Hillsborough, although that architectural history was separate from the brick company's manufacturing role. The available record documents continued operation of individual facilities into the twentieth century. The San Jose brickyard is recorded as operating from approximately 1891 until 1968, and the Greenbrae brickyard is described as having run for 103 years. The sources do not provide a definitive date or transaction marking the end of the entire Remillard organization. Its surviving buildings, historic kiln, family residences, mausoleum, and civic associations nevertheless make it an important example of a California family industrial business whose products helped shape the built environment of the Bay Area.
- 1968
San Jose yard's recorded operating period ends
[1]Historical material identifies 1968 as the end of the recorded operating period for the San Jose Remillard brickyard.
- 1904
Peter Remillard dies
[1]Peter Remillard died from a heart attack. Ownership subsequently passed within the family, including to his daughter Lillian.
- 1901
Philip Remillard dies
[1]Philip Remillard died after a fall and was serving as vice president of the company at the time.
- 1892
San Jose operation expanded
[1]A San Jose yard employing more than 300 people was established in the early 1890s; historical listings date its operation from approximately 1891 to 1968.
- 1890
Greenbrae yard established
[1]Remillard established a brick yard at Greenbrae in Marin County, later associated with a surviving historic kiln.
- 1882
Pleasanton yard established
[1]The company opened a large yard in Pleasanton to support production and distribution.
- 1879
Remillard Brick Company incorporated
[1]The family business was formally incorporated as the Remillard Brick Company.
- 1864
East Oakland brickyard begins operation
[1]The family's East Oakland brickmaking operation was established, marking the beginning of the enterprise's documented industrial expansion.
- 1861
Peter moves to Oakland and enters brickmaking
[1]Peter Remillard moved to Oakland, became an employee at a brickyard, and within several years rose to ownership.
- 1854
Peter Remillard arrives in California
[1]Pierre-Nicolas (Peter) Remillard came from Quebec to California and initially pursued mining before entering the brick trade.
Products and positioning
A large, vertically organized regional supplier of bricks and related masonry materials for commercial, civic, and residential construction in California and the wider western United States.
Masonry materials · 1864
Construction brick
The company's core product was fired brick for structural, commercial, civic, and residential construction. Remillard bricks were distributed through Bay Area yards and supplied prominent projects in San Francisco, Oakland, and surrounding markets. The business's scale made it a major regional source of masonry material during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Construction materials
Cement, lime, sand, and plaster
In addition to brick, Remillard sold complementary construction materials, including cement, lime, cleaned sand, and plaster. These products broadened the company from a brick producer into a more general supplier to contractors and the building trade.
Sources1 sources
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