Poplar Lumber

Although business slowed dramatically during WWI and The Great Depression, VAH was able to stick it out and never close down. Business was rough throughout WWII; yet again we never shut the doors. Van Arsdale-Harris Lumber Company has faced some of the most difficult times our country has been through and we are proud to say that it is now 2009 and we are as strong as ever.

The first major obstacle Van Arsdale-Harris Lumber Company faced was the devastating earthquake of 1906. The fire that followed the earthquake burnt VAH to the ground. The rebuilding phase was not an easy process. However, William and Matthew were determined to rebuild. Approximately eleven and a half months later VAH was up and running again.

William Van Arsdale and Matthew Harris opened Van Arsdale-Harris Lumber Company (VAH) in 1888 in downtown San Francisco. VAH was located on Fifth and Brannan until 1957 when it moved to its current location in Brisbane. Brisbane is located just a few minutes south of San Francisco in the windswept Visitation Valley. The cool-breezy wind makes Brisbane the ideal climate for the natural drying of several species of lumber; in particular our Western Red Cedar stock.