Alpheus C. Morse (1818-1893)Alfred Stone, "Alpheus Carey Morse F. A. I. A.,"
American Architect and Building News
' 42, no. 937 (December 9, 1893): 126-127. was an American

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

with offices in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

Life and career

Alpheus Carey Morse was born June 3, 1818, in Boston, Massachusetts to Hazen and Lucy (Cary) Morse. Hazen Morse was a noted silversmith and engraver. He was named for stonecutter Alpheus Cary, his mother's father. He was educated in architecture in the office of

Alexander Parris Alexander Parris (November 24, 1780 – June 16, 1852) was a prominent American architect-engineer. Beginning as a housewright, he evolved into an architect whose work transitioned from Federal style architecture to the later Greek Revival. Parr ...

, then one of Boston's leading architects. In 1840 he hoped to gain further experience in the office of

Richard Upjohn Richard Upjohn (22 January 1802 – 16 August 1878) was a British-born American architect who emigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches. He was partially responsible for launching the movement to su ...

, then engaged on Trinity Church in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, and an associate of Parris in 1834. However, Upjohn then did not have space for an additional student. By 1842 he apparently planned to invite him to join his office, though by this time Morse had already left the country to travel abroad. Morse, in the company of

Seth Wells Cheney Seth Wells Cheney (November 28, 1810 – September 10, 1856) was an American artist and a pioneer of crayon work in the United States. Biography He was the son of George Cheney and Electa Woodbridge. He received a public school education. In 18 ...

, traveled through Europe for five years, with a home base in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

at the studio of

Horatio Greenough Horatio Greenough (September 6, 1805 – December 18, 1852) was an American sculptor best known for his United States government commissions '' The Rescue'' (1837–50), ''George Washington'' (1840), and ''The Discovery of America'' (1840–4 ...

. In Europe Morse devoted much time to painting and crayon portraiture. When he returned to Boston in 1847 he opened a studio on

Tremont Row Tremont Row (1830s-1920s) in Boston, Massachusetts, was a short street that flourished in the 19th and early-20th centuries. It was located near the intersection of Court, Tremont, and Cambridge streets, in today's Government Center area. It exi ...

, where he at first continued that same work. His first architectural commission was a church in

Haverhill, Massachusetts Haverhill ( ) is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Haverhill is located 35 miles north of Boston on the New Hampshire border and about 17 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. The population was 67,787 at the 2020 United States Cen ...

, his father's native town. About 1851 Morse joined the office of English immigrant architect George Snell, then engaged on the design of

Boston Music Hall The Boston Music Hall was a concert hall located on Winter Street in Boston, Massachusetts, with an additional entrance on Hamilton Place. One of the oldest continuously operating theaters in the United States, it was built in 1852 and was the ...

. Morse was responsible for much of the interior decoration, and the two architects briefly formed a partnership after the building was completed in 1852.Boston directories However, the firm of Snell & Morse was short-lived, and was dissolved in 1853. In the same year, Morse was commissioned to design a house in Providence for a close friend, the artist Thomas Frederick Hoppin. This house is and was considered one of the best local examples of

Italianate architecture The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian R ...

. After that project was completed in 1855, Morse chose to remain in Providence and establish an architectural practice. He formed a partnership with architect Clifton A. Hall, but this too proved short-lived, and Morse & Hall was dissolved in 1856. For the remainder of his career Morse would be a sole practitioner. After the departure from Providence and eventual death of

Thomas Alexander Tefft Thomas Alexander Tefft (August 2, 1826 – December 12, 1859) was an American architect, from Providence, Rhode Island. Tefft, one of the nation's first professionally trained architects, is considered a master of ''Rundbogenstil'' and a leadi ...

, Morse was the city's leading architect for several years. From 1859 to 1861 he was assisted by Alfred Stone, who himself would become a leader in the profession. Rhode Island Hospital postcard-ca1908

Morse consistently relied on the architecture of the Italian Renaissance as a source for his own work, and was largely dedicated to that style. However, this fell out of favor in his later years, and he transitioned to other styles, including the High Victorian Gothic, Romanesque Revival and Queen Anne. Some of these works were innovative in the local context. Rogers Hall of

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

, built in 1862, and the

Rhode Island Hospital Rhode Island Hospital is a private, not-for-profit hospital located in the Upper South Providence neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island. It is the largest academic medical center in the region, affiliated with Brown University since 1959. As ...

, built in 1864–68, were the first examples of polychrome Gothic architecture in the area, and

Sayles Memorial Hall Sayles Memorial Hall is a Richardsonian Romanesque hall on the central campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The granite structure was designed by Alpheus C. Morse and constructed from 1879 to 1881. History Sayles Hall was ...

, also at Brown, was one of the area's earliest examples of

Richardsonian Romanesque Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revival style incorporates 11th and 12th century southern French, Spanish, and Italian Romanesque ...

architecture.

Personal life

In 1855 Morse married Caroline Emily Pearce, daughter of Earl Douglas and Lydia (Wheaton) Pearce.
New England Families; Genealogical and Memorial
', ed. William Richard Cutter, vol. 2 (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1915): 997. The couple moved into the house at 44 Benefit Street, the southern half of a double house built in 1827 by

Tallman & Bucklin James C. Bucklin (1801-1890) was an American architect working in Providence, Rhode Island. Life and career Bucklin was born on 26 July 1801, in a part of Rehoboth that is now part of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, to James and Lorania (Pearce) Buckl ...

for the bride's father as an investment. They lived there for the remainder of their lives, raising three daughters. Their eldest, Anne Goddard Morse, was educated as an artist in Boston and New York. In 1868, Morse was awarded an honorary

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree from

. The Brown professors John Larkin Lincoln and George Ide Chace were both his brothers-in-law. Morse died November 25, 1893, at home in Providence after a brief illness, at the age of 75.

Legacy

In 1857 Morse was a founding member and fellow of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

, and in 1875 was founding president of the institute's Rhode Island chapter. John Hutchins Cady, ''The Civic and Architectural Development of Providence, 1636-1950'' (Providence: The Book Shop, 1957) He designed many prominent buildings in Providence, including the old

and Sayles Hall on the campus of

. Two of his projects have been listed on the United States

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

, and many others contribute to listed historic districts.

Works

* First Parish Unitarian Church (former), 130 Main St,

(1847–48, demolished 2017) * Interiors of

(former), 1 Hamilton Pl, Boston, Massachusetts (1852, altered) * House for Thomas Frederick Hoppin, 383 Benefit St,

(1853–55, NRHP 1973) * Merchants Bank Building, 20 Westminster St,

(1855–57, NRHP 1977) * House for William Binney, 72 Prospect St,

(1859)William McKenzie Woodward and Edward F. Sanderson, ''Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources'', ed. David Chase (Providence: Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1986) * House for Henry Albert Rhodes, 101 Benefit St,

(1860–62) * House for Amos Newell Beckwith, 2 Stimson Ave,

(1861–62) * House for Smith Owen, 79 Prospect St,

(1861) * Rogers Hall,

(1862) * Rectory of the Cathedral of St. John (former), 144 Benefit St,

(1863) * House for Marcy (Mason) Gorham, 34 Benefit St,

(1863–65) * House for Rufus Waterman, 188 Benefit St,

(1863) *

(former), 593 Eddy St,

(1864–68, demolished 1956) * House for James Humphreys, 147 Benefit St,

(1864–66) * House for William Gorham Angell, 30 Benefit St,

(1864–67) * Remodeling of house for William Slater, 54 College St,

(1867) * Fernald Hall,

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universities, flagshi ...

Orono, Maine Orono () is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. Located on the Penobscot and Stillwater rivers, it was first settled by American colonists in 1774. They named it in honor of Chief Joseph Orono, a sachem of the indigenous Penobscot ...

(1868–70) * Atlantic Building, 49 Westminster St,

(1869–70, altered 1892 and 1910, demolished 1970) * Brown Mausoleum,

North Burial Ground The North Burial Ground is a cemetery in Providence, Rhode Island dating to 1700, the first public cemetery in Providence. It is located north of downtown Providence, bounded by North Main Street, Branch Avenue, the Moshassuck River, and Ceme ...

(1869)William H. Jordy and Christopher P. Monkhouse, ''Buildings on Paper: Rhode Island Architectural Drawings, 1825-1945'' (Providence: Brown University, 1982) * Breck Building, 35 N Main St, Providence,

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

(1870, demolished) * House for Charles Hutchins Sprague, 17 Arch St,

(1874) * Double house for Lucian Sharpe, 79 Brown St,

(1874) * Third Police Station and Wickenden Street Fire Station, 200 and 210 Wickenden St,

(1876, demolished)"A. C. Morse" in ''Industries and Wealth of the Principal Points in Rhode Island'' (New York: A. F. Parsons Publishing Company, 1892): 76. * House for William Francis Sayles, 103 Prospect St,

(1878) *

(1879–81) * House for Henry Truman Beckwith, 68 Brown St,

(1883) * House for Mary Townsend (Bullock) Ames, 172 Cushing St,

(1884–85) * Carriage house and stable for Lucian Sharpe, 135 Angell St,

(1885) * House for Horatio Rogers Jr., 264 Bowen St,

(1887) * Sundial at

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...

Fairfax County, Virginia Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria and Arlington County and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C. ...

(1887, removed)''Report of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union, 1889''. Baltimore: Friedenwald Co., 1896. * House for William Carey Poland, 53 Lloyd Ave,

(1890)"Houses of Brown Professors,"
Brown Alumni Monthly
' 4, no. 9 (April 1904): 188-189.

Gallery

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morse, Alpheus C. 1818 births 1893 deaths Architects from Providence, Rhode Island Fellows of the American Institute of Architects 19th-century American architects