Benjamin Wistar Morris
1870 – 1944
Born in Portland, Oregon, Benjamin Wistar Morris studied at Hartford’s Trinity College, Columbia University, and the École des Beaux-Arts. He apprenticed at the architectural firm of Carrère & Hastings in New York. While there, he helped prepare the winning drawings for the New York Public Library competition.
Architect
In the early 1900s, Morris went into business for himself. Then from 1910 to 1915, he practiced with Christopher Grant LaFarge.
Morris’ Cunard Building (1921) received critical acclaim. The commission was followed by several others in New York City including the Pierpont Morgan Library Annex and the American Women’s Association Clubhouse.
Beyond New York, Morris designed Princeton University dormitories, the Connecticut State Armory, Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company (Hartford), and the Westchester County Courthouse (White Plains). Among his noteworthy accomplishments, Morris designed the interior of the S.S. Queen Mary.
Hartford Connection
Morris married Alice Fenwick Goodwin, daughter of prominent Hartford resident Rev. Francis Goodwin.
Location:
Section 10, Lot 1
References:
ArchInform. Benjamin Wistar Morris. Accessed at http://eng.archinform.net/arch/73868.htm
Brainard, W.F. Who’s Who in New York City and State. Wm. G. Hewitt, Brooklyn, NY, 1911, pp. 682.
Wikipedia. Benjamin Wistar Morris. Accessed at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Wistar_Morris_(architect)
Photo Credit:
Benjamin Wistar Morris, Courtesy Century Association Archives Foundation