Benjamin Wistar Morris (sometimes III or Jr.; October 23, 1870 – December 4, 1944) was an American architect from

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

who worked primarily in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Early life and education

Morris was born in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

on October 23, 1870, to Benjamin Wistar Morris, Episcopal Bishop of Oregon and Washington, and his wife Hannah. He attended the

Bishop Scott Academy Bishop Scott Academy was a school located in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. Affiliated with the Episcopal Church, the school was named for the Bishop Thomas Fielding Scott. The school opened in 1870 to educate young men in good citizenship ...

in Oregon, and then St. Paul's Preparatory School in

Concord, New Hampshire Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the third largest city in New Hampshire behind Manchester and Nashua. The village of ...

. Intending to become a minister, he attended

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

, but he later decided to become an architect and graduated from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1894. In 1895 and 1896 he continued his studies at the

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...

in Paris. Upon his return to the United States, Morris joined the firm of

Carrère and Hastings Carrère and Hastings, the firm of John Merven Carrère ( ; November 9, 1858 – March 1, 1911) and Thomas Hastings (architect), Thomas Hastings (March 11, 1860 – October 22, 1929), was one of the outstanding American Beaux-Arts architecture, Be ...

, where he assisted in preparing the successful entry for the design of the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...

Professional life

Historic Wells Fargo Building - Portland Oregon

Morris started his own practice in 1900. He later formed the firm of Morris, Butler and Rodman, but soon withdrew from the practice and worked alone until 1910, when he formed a partnership with Christopher Grant LaFarge as LaFarge & Morris. That firm lasted until 1915. Morris later formed Morris & O'Connor with his son-in-law, Robert B. O'Connor. Morris worked with O'Connor until Morris' death in 1944. In 1913, Morris was elected a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

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 ...

(AIA), serving as president of the New York chapter. He also served on the New York City Art Commission, and was a member of the

U.S. Commission of Fine Arts The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) is an independent agency of the federal government of the United States, and was established in 1910. The CFA has review (but not approval) authority over the "design and aesthetics" of all construction with ...

from 1927 to 1931. Morris became a full Academician in the

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the fin ...

in 1941.

Works

In his native Portland, Morris designed the

Wells Fargo Building Wells Fargo Building may refer to: * Wells Fargo Building (Denver, Colorado), a Denver Landmark * Wells Fargo Building (Englewood, Colorado) * Wells Fargo Building (Davenport, Iowa) * Wells Fargo Building (Portland, Oregon) *Wells Fargo Building (P ...

in 1907. It is considered the city's first

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...

. He designed many important buildings in Connecticut and New York, including the

Cunard Building The Cunard Building is a Grade II* listed building in Liverpool, England. It is located at the Pier Head and along with the neighbouring Royal Liver Building and Port of Liverpool Building is one of Liverpool's ''Three Graces'', which line the ...

(with Carrère and Hastings), the

Union League Club of New York The Union League Club is a private social club in New York City that was founded in 1863 in affiliation with the Union League. Its fourth and current clubhouse is located at 38 East 37th Street on the corner of Park Avenue, in the Murray Hill ...

, and 48 Wall Street, as well as the interiors of the '' Queen Mary'' and the

Harmonie Club The Harmonie Club is a private social club in New York City. Founded in 1852, the club is the second oldest social club in New York. It is located at 4 East 60th Street, in a building designed by Stanford White. History Originally named the ...

. In addition, he designed residences in

Clinton Hill, Brooklyn Clinton Hill is a neighborhood in north-central Brooklyn, a borough of New York City. It is bordered by the Brooklyn Navy Yard and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to the north, Williamsburg to the northeast, Classon Avenue and Bedford–Stuyves ...

and

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

for watch case manufacturer Joseph Fahys.

Later life and death

Morris died on December 4, 1944 in New York City; he was survived by his wife, Alice Fenwick Goodwin, daughter Mary Wistar O'Connor, and son Benjamin. He was interred at Cedar Hill Cemetery in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Benjamin W. 1870 births 1944 deaths Architects from New York (state) Architects from Portland, Oregon Burials at Cedar Hill Cemetery (Hartford, Connecticut) Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation alumni Fellows of the American Institute of Architects St. Paul's School (New Hampshire) alumni