Morris Homans Whitehouse (March 21, 1878 – April 4, 1944) was an American architect whose work included the design of the Gus Solomon United States Courthouse 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 ...

Biography

Whitehouse was born in Portland, Oregon, on March 21, 1878, to Benjamin Gardner Whitehouse and Clara née Homans. In his youth he attended, and graduated from, public schools in Portland. He graduated from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

(MIT) in 1906. He was awarded the

Guy Lowell Guy Lowell (August 6, 1870 – February 4, 1927), was an American architect and landscape architect. Biography Born in Boston, Lowell was the son of Mary Walcott (Goodrich) and Edward Jackson Lowell, and a member of Boston's well-known Lo ...

Traveling Fellowship in 1905 which facilitated his pursuing studies at the

American Academy in Rome The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo (Janiculum Hill) in Rome. The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. History In 1893, a group of American architects, ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

from 1906 to 1907. He was the first ever recipient of that award from MIT. In 1936, he married Mildred Fuller Anderson.

Career

Whitehouse started his own practice in 1907. He then partnered with Bruce R. Honeyman in 1908. Beginning in 1909 he partnered with

J. André Fouilhoux Jacques André Fouilhoux (September 27, 1879 – June 20, 1945) was a French-born architect active in the United States from 1904 to 1945.''The New York Times''. (July 21, 1945) ''The New York Times'', p. 1. Accessed August 18, 2020. He is most ...

and

Edgar M. Lazarus Edgar Marks Lazarus (June 6, 1868 – October 2, 1939) was an American architect who was prominent in the Portland, Oregon, area for more than 45 years. He was best known as the architect of the Vista House on Crown Point in the Columbia River G ...

in the architectural firm "Lazarus, Whitehouse & Fouilhoux". Lazarus later left the firm, which continued under the name ''Whitehouse & Fouilhoux'', which lasted until 1917. It was the longest-running architectural firm in Oregon. Among other buildings, the firm designed the University Club (1913) now listed on the

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 ...

(NRHP), the

Jefferson High School This is a list of memorials to Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd president of the United States and the author of the United States Declaration of Independence. Buildings Elementary schools *Jefferson Elementary School, in Cammack Village, Arkansas *Thoma ...

, the Lincoln High School and the Conro Fiero House, formerly listed on the NRHP but delisted after its destruction by fire. They also collaborated with New York-based firms J. H. Freelander and A. D. Seymour, in the construction of the Portland Municipal Auditorium (now the Keller Auditorium). The firm closed as a result of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, when Fouilhoux enlisted in 1918. Following the war Whitehouse operated Morris H. Whitehouse, Architect, changing this name to Morris H. Whitehouse & Associates in 1926, having been joined by Glenn Stanton and Walter E. Church. They designed the Temple Beth Israel synagogue (1928), the U.S. Courthouse (1929-1931) and the

Multnomah Stadium Multnomah may refer to: *The Multnomah people, a Chinookan people who lived in the area of modern Portland, Oregon, United States **''Multnomah'', the middle Chinookan dialect of the Multnomah people ;Places, vessels, and institutions whose name ...

. From 1932 to 1935 the firm was named Whitehouse, Stanton & Church. Whitehouse & Church designed the

Oregon State Library The State Library of Oregon in Salem, is the library for the U.S. state of Oregon. The mission of the State Library of Oregon is to provide leadership and resources to continue growing vibrant library services for Oregonians with print disabil ...

in 1939. The firm was again renamed in 1942 to Whitehouse, Church, Newberry & Roehr, with the addition of Earl P. Newberry and Frank Roehr, the last name change before Whitehouse's death. Even after his death the firm remained in operation, undergoing several other name changes. Whitehouse was a member of the Portland Architectural Club. He was also director and then president of the Oregon arm 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 ...

. He also served on the Oregon State Board of Architect Examiners from 1919 to 1930. Whitehouse died in Portland on April 4, 1944, at St. Vincent's Hospital following a heart attack. He had remained active in his profession until entering the hospital for treatment of a heart condition, about two weeks prior to his death.

Projects

Columbia Gorge Hotel - Hood River Oregon

Whitehouse and his associates designed many structures in Oregon and other parts of the Pacific Northwest. The following Oregon structures appear on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP):

Portland

* 705 Davis Street Apartments (1913), 2141 NW Davis St (Whitehouse & Fouilhoux) * Anna Lewis Mann Old People's Home (1910), 1021 NE 33rd Ave (Whitehouse & Fouilhoux)Historic Landmarks of Portland, Oregon
October 2009 * Balfour–Guthrie Building (1913), 731-733 SW Oak St * Elliott R. Corbett House (1915), 1600 SW Greenwood Rd (Whitehouse & Fouilhoux) * H. L. and Gretchen Hoyt Corbett House (1916), 1405 SW Corbett Hill Cir (Whitehouse & Fouilhoux) * Aaron Frank Residence (1922), 1125 SW St. Clair Ave (contributing structure of the King's Hill Historic District) * Alexander and Cornelia Lewthwaite House, 1715 SE Montgomery Dr * University Club (1913), 1225 SW 6th Ave (Whitehouse & Fouilhoux) * U.S. Courthouse (1932), 620 SW Main St * William Blackstone Fletcher and Amy LaVenture Fletcher House (1936) 10707 S Riverside Drive (Morris H. Whitehouse & Associates)

Other cities

* Conro Fiero House, 4615 Hamrick Rd, Central Point (Whitehouse & Fouilhoux) *

Columbia Gorge Hotel The Columbia Gorge Hotel is a historic hotel in Hood River, Oregon, United States. It was built by Simon Benson, who was involved with the Columbia Gorge Scenic Highway. Benson envisioned a hotel at the end of the highway, and completed the Miss ...

, 9000 Westcliffe Dr, Hood River * Elizabeth Clark House, 812 John Adams St, Oregon City (Morris H. Whitehouse & Associates) * Chemeketa Lodge No. 1, Odd Fellows Buildings, 185-195 High St NE, Salem (with Walter D. Pugh)

Non-NRHP

* Sixth Church of Christ Scientist (1931), 1331 SW Park Ave, Portland School Architecture Principles and Practices - 1921 - John Donovan-635

Central Grammar School (AKA Lewis & Clark School), Astoria, Oregon (Demolished 1980s)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitehouse, Morris H. 1878 births 1944 deaths American residential architects Architects from Portland, Oregon MIT School of Architecture and Planning alumni