Ezra Franklin Kysor was a pioneering architect who played a crucial role in shaping early Los Angeles architecture during the city's formative years. Born in Leon, Cattaraugus County, New York, Kysor traveled west around 1861, working as both an architect and carpenter across California and Nevada cities including Sacramento, Virginia City, San Francisco, and San Jose before settling in Los Angeles in 1868. He established his practice in the Temple Block and became one of only four architectural firms listed in the 1875 Los Angeles City Directory. Throughout his career, Kysor formed several successful partnerships, most notably with Octavius Morgan (1880-1886), creating the firm Kysor and Morgan that designed many of Los Angeles' most important early buildings. His architectural legacy includes designing the city's first major hotel (Pico House), important civic buildings, churches, and commercial structures that helped establish Los Angeles' architectural character. After his wife Clara's death in 1891, he gradually transitioned from active practice to real estate investment, eventually becoming a 'capitalist' by 1900. His son Charles H. Kysor also became an architect, changing his surname to 'Kyson' during World War I.