Merrill H. Hoyt was a prominent American architect, business man and leader in the building design community of

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

from 1910 to 1933.

Early years 1881 - 1899

Born in North Denver on May 18, 1881, Merrill H. Hoyt grew up in the house located a
2849 West 23rd Avenue Denver
He was the eldest son of Lydia Tompkins Hoyt and Wallace Hoyt, a carriage designer who emigrated from

New Brunswick, Canada New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

. He is the eldest brother of Architect Burnham F. Hoyt. As a boy, Merrill earned money delivering newspapers and working in the fields of local farms. After graduating from Denver's North High School, he decided to train for a career in

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

Later years 1899 - 1933

In 1899, he was hired by the prestigious firm of William Fisher, Architect where he learned the trade as a draftsman at first and later as a superintendent . On October 4, 1907, he married Ethel Fowler in

Silver Bow, Montana Silver Bow is a neighborhood in Butte, Montana, United States. It lies near the interchange of Interstate 15 and Interstate 90, near Rocker. It is the location of a major rail junction on the Burlington Northern Railroad The Burlington Norther ...

. The couple and daughter Grace lived in his boyhood neighborhood a
2509 West 36th Avenue
In 1915, he started his own architectural practice, which later became M.H. and B. Hoyt, Architects when his brother Burnham joined the firm in 1919. The firm prospered in the 1920s and is credited with the design of many of Denver's iconic buildings of the era. Their designs embraced various historical styles including

Greek revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

, Romanesque and

Spanish revival The Spanish Colonial Revival Style ( es, Arquitectura neocolonial española) is an architectural stylistic movement arising in the early 20th century based on the Spanish Colonial architecture of the Spanish colonization of the Americas. In the ...

. Together they designed residential, commercial, academic and religious buildings. On February 11, 1933, Architect Merrill H. Hoyt suffered a sudden heart attack at a dinner party and died at age 52.

Civic and professional engagement

Merrill H Hoyt was an active and respected member of Denver design, business and cultural community. He served as a President and vice president of the Colorado Chapter 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 ...

, the secretary of the Allied Architects Association who designed the City and County Building of Denver, and vice president of the Denver Building and Loan Association. He was active in his Masonic Lodge, the Denver Art Museum, Motor Club of Colorado
Issac Walton LeagueLakewood Country Club
and a member of the

Denver Athletic Club The Denver Athletic Club, founded in 1884, is a private athletic and social club that is member-owned. Located in Downtown Denver, Colorado, United States. Residing in the historical 1325 Glenarm Place near the Colorado Convention Center, The D ...

Credited buildings (partial list)

* The Delta National Bank (1910) is located at 360 Main St., Delta, CO. It is thought to be one of the earliest building attributed to the architect. It was built 5 years before officially starting his own firm. It now serves as Delta Colorado's city hall and is on the Colorado State Register of Historical Places. * Douglass Undertaking Building Facade(1915) located at 2745 Welton St. Denver, CO. This building is included in Denver's Five Points Historic Cultural District. * Fourth Church of Christ Scientist (1920) located at 3101 W. 31st Ave. Denver, CO was designed with his brother Burnham F. Hoyt.
Denver Public Library - Park Hill Branch
(1920) located at 4705 Montview Blvd., Denver, CO was designed with his brother Burnham F. Hoyt. This building is designated a Denver Landmark. * Hendricks House (1922) is located at 457 Williams Street Denver, CO in Denver'
Driving Park Historic District.

The residence at 860 Gaylord St., Denver, CO
(1923) is located in the Denver's Morgan's Subdivision Historic District. * The Owen Estate (1923) located at 3901 S. Gilpin St., Denver, CO is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. *

Cherry Hills Country Club Cherry Hills Country Club is a private country club in the western United States, located in Cherry Hills Village, Colorado, a suburb south of Denver. Founded in 1922 and designed by William Flynn, the club features a championship 18-hole golf c ...

(1923) located at 4125 S University Blvd, Cherry Hills Village, CO was designed with his brother Burnham F. Hoyt. * The

Denver Press Club The Denver Press Club, located at 1330 Glenarm Place, Denver, Colorado, is the oldest press club in the United States. Journalists first met in 1867, and the club was incorporated in 1877. History Members first met in the basement of Wolfe Londone ...

(1925) located at 1330 Glenarm Pl., Denver, CO was designed with his brother Burnham F. Hoyt. This building is designated a Denver Landmark. * The

Maitland Estate The Maitland Estate is a historic home located at 9 Sunset Drive. in Cherry Hills Village, Colorado. Designed by Denver architects Merrill H. Hoyt Merrill H. Hoyt was a prominent American architect, business man and leader in the building des ...

(1925) located at 9 Sunset Drive Cherry Hills Village, CO was designed with his brother Burnham F. Hoyt. This building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. * Lake Junior High School (1926) located at 1820 Lowell Blvd., Denver, CO was designed with his brother Burnham F. Hoyt. This building is designated a Denver Landmark and currently house
Lake International School.
* Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church, Education Wing (1927) located at 1980 Dahlia St., Denver CO is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. * St. Martin's Chapel a
St. John's Episcopal Cathedral
(1928) located at 1313 Clarkston St., Denver, CO was designed with his brother Burnham F. Hoyt. This building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Steele Elementary School (addition)
(1929) located at 300 S. Marion Pkwy., Denver, CO. This building is designated a Denver Landmark.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoyt, Merrill H. 1881 births 1933 deaths People from Denver 20th-century American architects