Montrose W. Morris (March 20, 1861 – April 14, 1916) 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 ...

from

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

best known for some of the first multi-unit apartment buildings in New York City. His most well-known buildings include the Alhambra Apartments, Imperial Apartments, and the

Renaissance Apartments Renaissance Apartments is a historic apartment building located at Hancock Street and Nostrand Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City. It was built in 1892 and is a five-story masonry building in the French Renaissance style. It fea ...

all in

, New York. Most of Morris’ work still stands adding greatly to the borough's architectural heritage. Morris worked in the prevalent architectural styles of the period, including Queen Anne and

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

Life and education

Morris was born in Hempstead, Long Island on March 20, 1861. His family later moved to Brooklyn and he was educated at the Peekskill Academy. In 1876, he became an

apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

architect Charles W. Clinton, who, in concert with his partner, Hamilton Russell, was responsible for some of New York's most iconic buildings, including the

Seventh Regiment Armory The Seventh Regiment Armory, also known as Park Avenue Armory, is a historic National Guard armory building located at 643 Park Avenue in the Upper East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The building is a brick and stone structure b ...

, the Graham Court Apartments, and the Masonic Temple (now the

New York City Center New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama,. The name "City Center for Music and Drama Inc." is the organizational parent of the New York City Ballet and, until 2011, the New York City Opera. and t ...

).Spellen, Suzanne (November 10, 2009)
"Walkabout: The Architects – Montrose Morris, Part 1"
'' Brownstoner''. Retrieved: April 17, 2015. Morris was a veteran of Company H, 23rd Regiment, N.G., S.N.Y., a member of Grant Post and the Mistletoe Lodge No. 647, F.&A.M., of Lefferts Council, Royal Acanum, of the

Union League Club 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 Montauk Club of Brooklyn, and the New England Society. He had two sons, Raymond M. and LeRoy C., who worked in his architectural practice starting in 1911; they carried on the firm in their father's name after his early death.

Career

Morris opened his architectural office in 1883 in his early 20s. He advertised his services by designing and building his own residence on Hancock Street between Marcy and Tompkins Avenues in the Bedford Stuyvesant district, and then opened it to the public. One of the visitors was developer Louis F. Seitz, who later commissioned three apartment buildings from Morris. Morris’ apartment buildings are among the earliest built in Brooklyn. During the 19th century, single-family row houses were the residential homes of choice for the middle class. Apartments or “flathouses” were considered inferior and there was a distinct prejudice against them. Only toward the end of the century did it become socially acceptable for the middle class to live in an apartment house. The high-quality of the design and richness of materials Morris used were intended to attract middle-class families.Dillon, James T. (March 18, 1986
"Imperial Apartments Designation Report"

New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...

Retrieved: April 17, 2015. Morris’ most productive years came in the two decades between 1885 and 1905. His most important works are located in all the most desirable Brooklyn neighborhoods:

Brooklyn Heights Brooklyn Heights is a residential neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Old Fulton Street near the Brooklyn Bridge on the north, Cadman Plaza West on the east, Atlantic Avenue on the south, ...

Fort Greene Fort Greene is a neighborhood in the northwestern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Flushing Avenue and the Brooklyn Navy Yard to the north, Flatbush Avenue Extension and Downtown Brooklyn to the wes ...

, Clinton Hill,

Park Slope Park Slope is a neighborhood in northwestern Brooklyn, New York City, within the area once known as South Brooklyn. Park Slope is roughly bounded by Prospect Park and Prospect Park West to the east, Fourth Avenue to the west, Flatbush A ...

, and Bedford Stuyvesant.Spellen, Suzanne (November 24, 2009
"Walkabout: Montrose Morris, From Hot to Forgot(ten)"
''Brownstoner''. Retrieved 17 April 2015.

Death and legacy

Morris died in his home from unstated causes on April 14, 1916, at age 55. Many of his buildings survive today. And through efforts of the communities around them, they have been preserved. While Morris doesn't have the largest body of work from that time, his stand out for their innovative use of massing, shapes, materials, ornament, design elements, loggias, balconies and the unique way he combined all these elements.

Work

* 232 Hancock Street,

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, 1886 * 236-244 Hancock Street, Brooklyn, 1886 * 246-252 Hancock Street, Brooklyn, 1880s * Northside Savings Bank, Brooklyn, 1889 * 282-290 DeKalb Avenue, Brooklyn, 1889 * 285-289 DeKalb Avenue, Brooklyn, 1889 * Alhambra Apartments, Brooklyn, 1889–90 * 109 S 9th Street, Brooklyn, 1890 * William H. Beard House, 186 Clinton Avenue, Brooklyn, 1891 * Clermont Apartments, 79-81 Decatur Street, Brooklyn, 1891 * Imperial Apartments, Brooklyn, 1892 *

, Brooklyn, 1892 * Poly Prep Lower School - Henry Hulbert House, Brooklyn, 1892 * 315 Clinton Avenue, Brooklyn, 1890 * 515 Clinton Avenue, Brooklyn, 1893-4 * Clarence Walker Seamens residence, Brooklyn, 1900–03 * 18 Prospect Park West, Park Slope, 1901 * 186 Clinton Avenue, Brooklyn, 1905 * 143-53 Eighth Avenue, Brooklyn, 1910–11 * Chatelaine Hotel, 1350 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, 1915-16Matthew X. Kiernan,
Hotel Chatelaine, Corwn Heights North
" Flickr (5 March 2011).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Montrose 1861 births 1916 deaths 19th-century American architects Artists from Brooklyn