Kron, Jacob
Jacob Kron (1823-1879), born in Germany, ran a Santa Cruz tannery from 1866, named San Lorenzo Tannery. Kron built some of the structures that survive today, preserved/renovated as part of the Tannery Arts Center. Son Kron, Henry F. has a biography in Harrison, which also talks about Jacob.
Two other sons also went into the tannery business. Oscar ran an office in San Francisco, and Frank established a branch in Australia. Family tragedy destroyed the Kron family and its business. Oscar died in 1899, Frank died in 1913; mother Anna and Henry's son both died in 1914. Henry closed the tannery, but employees Herman Kullmann and Ansley Salz bought the business and reopened in 1918. Salz Tannery (later Salz Leather) remained in business until 2001, and the former tannery is now the city-owned Tannery Arts Center.
- Ross Eric Gibson, "Hi Kron and his tannery politics", Santa Cruz Sentinel, Aug. 24, 2025, A3 & A5.
A detail (right) from the 1892 Sanborn Fire Insurance Co. maps shows some of the structures that remain today, including "Mrs A. K Krom's D." [sic] (the first Kron family residence), the "Tanning Vats" building, and the "Beam House". The second Kron family residence, mentioned in Sidewalk Companion but no longer standing, is shown at upper left on the map.
- John L. Chase, The Sidewalk Companion to Santa Cruz Architecture (4th ed. 2023), Chapter Six, entry (3), page 184
The 1896 photo below shows "H. F. Kron's D." (upper left on the Sanborn map, near "A"), from the northeast (found in Santa Cruz County: A faithful reproduction in print and photography of its climate, capabilities and beauties . . ., by Phil Francis, p.68)
