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Alpheus C. Morse

{{short description|American architect}}

{{Infobox architect

|name = Alpheus Carey Morse

|image =

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|caption =

|nationality = American

|birth_date = {{Birth date|1818|6|3}}

|birth_place = Boston, Massachusetts

|death_date = {{Death date and age|1893|11|25|1818|6|3}}

|death_place = Providence, Rhode Island

|practice =

|significant_buildings=

|significant_design =

|awards =

}}

File:Thomas F. Hoppin House, Providence, RI.jpg, Providence, Rhode Island, 1853–55.]]

Alpheus C. Morse (1818–1893)Alfred Stone, "Alpheus Carey Morse F. A. I. A.," [https://books.google.com/books?id=i4hMAAAAYAAJ American Architect and Building News] 42, no. 937 (December 9, 1893): 126-127. was an American architect with offices in Providence, Rhode Island.

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, then one of Boston's leading architects. In 1840 he hoped to gain further experience in the office of Richard Upjohn, then engaged on Trinity Church in New York, 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.Everard M. Upjohn, Richard Upjohn, Architect and Churchman (New York: Columbia University Press, 1939) Morse, in the company of Seth Wells Cheney, traveled through Europe for five years, with a home base in Florence at the studio of Horatio Greenough. 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, where he at first continued that same work. His first architectural commission was a church in Haverhill, Massachusetts, 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. 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. 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, 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."Alfred Stone F. A. I. A.," [https://books.google.com/books?id=QvJMAQAAMAAJ American Institute of Architects Quarterly Bulletin] 9, no. 1 (April 1908): 200-201.

File:Rhode Island Hospital postcard-ca1908.jpg (demolished and replaced with modern buildings starting in the 1950s)]]

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, built in 1862, and the Rhode Island Hospital, built in 1864–68, were the first examples of polychrome Gothic architecture in the area, and Sayles Memorial Hall, also at Brown, was one of the area's earliest examples of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture.

Personal life

In 1855 Morse married Caroline Emily Pearce, daughter of Earl Douglas and Lydia (Wheaton) Pearce.[https://books.google.com/books?id=1M8UAAAAYAAJ 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 for the bride's father as an investment.William McKenzie Woodward, PPS/AIAri Guide to Providence Architecture (Providence: Providence Preservation Society, 2003) 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 degree from Brown University.Historical Catalogue of Brown University, 1764-1904 (Providence: Brown University, 1905): 576. 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,American Institute of Architects Quarterly Bulletin April 1907: 7-8. 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 Rhode Island Hospital and Sayles Hall on the campus of Brown University. Two of his projects have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places, and many others contribute to listed historic districts.

Works

Gallery

{{Gallery

|title=|align=center

|File:Boston Music Hall, 1900, photograph by A.H. Rickards - Boston Symphony Orchestra - 20181013 194348.jpg

|Interior of Boston Music Hall, Boston, Massachusetts, 1852.

|File:Thomas F. Hoppin House, Providence, RI.jpg

|House for Thomas Frederick Hoppin, Providence, Rhode Island, 1853–55.

|File:Merchants_Bank_Building.jpg

|Merchants Bank Building, Providence, Rhode Island, 1855–57.

|File:2 Stimson Avenue, Providence.jpg

|House for Amos Newell Beckwith, Providence, Rhode Island, 1861–62.

|File:Salomon Center (Brown).jpg

|Rogers Hall, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 1862.

|File:2021 The Old Court, 144 Benefit Street, Providence.jpg

|Rectory of the Cathedral of St. John, Providence, Rhode Island, 1863.

|File:Brown University?, by Goodwin, J. W., 1836-1910.jpg

|Rhode Island Hospital (former), Providence, Rhode Island, 1864-68.

|File:Gerard House (Brown) 2.jpg

|Remodeling of house for William Slater, Providence, Rhode Island, 1867.

|File:North Burial Ground (3371805790).jpg

|Brown Mausoleum, North Burial Ground, Providence, Rhode Island, 1869.

|File:Sharpe House (Brown).jpg

|Double house for Lucian Sharpe, Providence, Rhode Island, 1874.

|File:Brown's_Open_Curriculum_50_years_picnic.jpg

|Sayles Memorial Hall, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 1879–81.

|File:Sayles Hall interior, Brown University.jpg

|Interior of Sayles Memorial Hall, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 1879–81.

|File:Partridge Hall (Brown).jpg

|House for Henry Truman Beckwith, Providence, Rhode Island, 1883.

|File:Urban Environmental Lab (Brown).jpg

|Carriage house and stable for Lucian Sharpe, Providence, Rhode Island, 1885.

}}

Notes

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References

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Category:1818 births

Category:1893 deaths

Category:Architects from Providence, Rhode Island

Category:Fellows of the American Institute of Architects

Category:19th-century American architects