Margaret Pitt Morison

{{Infobox person

| name = Margaret Pitt Morison

| image = Margaret Pitt Morison.jpg

| image_size = 250

| caption = Two portraits of Margaret Pitt Morison published in the West Australian Newspaper (17 May 1929, p.6; The Western Mail, 9 April 1936, p.28)

| birth_name = Margaret Lillian Pitt Morison

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1900|12|03}}

| birth_place = North Perth, Western Australia

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1985|12|12|1900|12|03}}

| death_place = Nedlands, Western Australia

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| nationality = Australian

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| occupation = Architect, lecturer

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| parents = George Pitt Morison
Frances Margaret (née Somner)

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}}

File:Myola Club Hall.jpg

File:Adelphi Hotel, Perth, 3 July 1936.jpg

File:1938 Emu Brewery, Perth.jpg, Perth (1938)]]

File:Lawson Gnangarra (47 of 71).jpg, Perth (21 March 2012)]]

Margaret Lillian Pitt Morison (3 December 1900 – 12 December 1985) was an Australian architect. She was the first female architect member in Western Australia. As a practitioner, educator and historian, she made important contributions to Australian architecture during the 19th and 20th most prominently in Western Australia.{{cite book|last=Goad and Willis|title=The Encyclopaedia of Australian Architecture|date=January 2012|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=544}}

Early and personal life

Her father, George Pitt Morison, was a well known Australian painter and member of the WA Society of Arts, exhibiting from 1902 and 1906.{{cite book|last=Chapman|first=Barbara|title=The Colonial Eye: A topographical and artistic record of the life and landscape of Western Australia 1798-1914|date=1979|publisher=Art Gallery of Western Australia|location=Perth|page=103}}

Morison was born in North Perth.{{cite web | url=http://www.architecture.com.au/docs/default-source/wa-notable-buildings/morison-margaret-pitt.pdf?sfvrsn=0) | title=Margaret Pitt Morison | publisher=Australian Institute of Architects | access-date=1 May 2014 | last=Taylor | first=Dr. John J. | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303235821/http://www.architecture.com.au/docs/default-source/wa-notable-buildings/morison-margaret-pitt.pdf?sfvrsn=0) | archive-date=3 March 2016 | url-status=dead }}

She was educated at the St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls and Perth Modern School.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article85737439 |title=Personalities Among Women. |work=The Daily News |location=Perth |date=25 October 1935 |access-date=20 May 2014 |page=11 Edition: Late City|publisher=National Library of Australia}}

Career

In 1920, Morison was articled to Geoffrey Edwin Summerhayes and completed her training with the firm of Eales & Cohen.{{cite news | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31260181 | title=Personal | publisher=National Library of Australia | work=The West Australian | date=24 October 1924 | access-date=20 May 2014 | location=Perth | page=8}} She was registered as Western Australia's first female architect in October 1924.{{cite news | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article58061525 | title=Our First Lady Architect | publisher=National Library of Australia | work=Sunday Times | date=26 October 1924 | access-date=20 May 2014 | location=Perth | page=8}} Late in 1925 she travelled to Melbourne, with her parents and in the following year she started working with the architectural firm, Cedric Ballantyne before studying at the University of Melbourne's Architectural Atelier.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article32280805 |title=The Study of Architecture |newspaper=The West Australian |location=Perth |date=17 May 1929 |access-date=21 May 2014 |page=6 |publisher=National Library of Australia}} She then joined the firm, A. & K. Henderson. In 1929 she returned to Perth and joined an architectural firm established by F. G. B. Hawkins, where she worked on the design of the Atlas Assurance Company Office from 1930 to 1931. In the early 1930s, Morison joined the Poster Studios, a commercial art business established by architects Harold Krantz, John Oldham and Colin Ednie-Brown.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article84987852 |title=Out-Of-The-Ruck Jobs for Wowmen|newspaper=The Daily News |location=Perth |date=21 April 1933 |access-date=21 May 2014 |page=6 Edition: Late City|publisher=National Library of Australia}} She then undertook the design of the Myola Club in Claremont with Krantz in 1934.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article58757824 |title=The Myola Club|newspaper=The Sunday Times |location=Perth |date=5 May 1935 |access-date=21 May 2014 |page=1 Section: Second Section |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

During the following years, she worked mainly for Oldham, Boas and Ednie-Brown,{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article85737439 |title=Personalities Among Women |newspaper=The Daily News |location=Perth |date=25 October 1935 |access-date=21 May 2014 |page=11 Edition: Late City |publisher=National Library of Australia}} where she did the interior detailing of the Adelphi Hotel, the remodelling of the Karrakatta Club in 1936 and the detailing of the Emu Brewery from 1936 to 1938.

In the late 1930s, she established herself as an architectural designer and set up her own practice with Heimann (Heinz) Jacobsohn. The practice, however, closed due to the outbreak of World War II.

She worked for the Commonwealth Department as a camouflage officer in 1942. She then went to Melbourne and was employed by architect H. Vivian Taylor, returning to Perth in 1948 where she taught an architectural course at Old Perth Technical School until 1962.{{cite journal | url=http://www.architecture.com.au/docs/default-source/wa-the-architect-mag/thearchitect12009.pdf?sfvrsn=2 | title=My Brilliant Career | author=Matthews, Leonie | journal=The Architect |date=March 2009 | pages=15–17 | publisher=The Australian Institute of Architects WA Chapter}}

At the 1953 Western Australian state election, Pitt Morison stood as an Australian Labor Party candidate for the Legislative Assembly seat of Nedlands. Although she was not elected, there was a swing away from the sitting member Charles Court.{{cite news | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49076351 | title=Labour has a candidate for Nedlands | work=The West Australian | date=24 January 1953 | access-date=20 May 2014}}{{cite news | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49080483 | title=W.A. electors eject the government from office | work=The West Australian | date=16 February 1953 | access-date=20 May 2014}}

In 1967, she commenced work for the City Planners Department at the City of Perth as an assistant research officer, continuing until 1971. In 1971, she was employed by the University of Western Australia in the School of Architecture and Fine Arts as a research officer, where she remained until her death in 1985.

In 1979 she was made a Life Fellow of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects. In the same year she published Western Towns and Buildings, with co-editor John White, a comprehensive study of 19th and 20th century Western Australian Architecture.{{cite book|last=Willis and Hanna|title=Women Architects in Australia, 1900-1950|date=2001|publisher=Royal Australian Institute of Architects|location=Red Hill, A.C.T|page=26}}

Death and legacy

Pitt Morison died at Nedlands on 12 December 1985.

The University of Western Australia awards the Margaret Pitt-Morison Memorial Prize to outstanding environmental design students.{{cite web | url=http://spe.publishing.uwa.edu.au/latest/Section3/prizes/alva/f1571 | title=Margaret Pitt-Morison Memorial Prize [F1571] | publisher=University of Western Australia | access-date=20 May 2014}}

The WA Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects named their annual Margaret Pitt Morison Award for Heritage after her.{{cite web | url=http://www.architecture.com.au/docs/default-source/national-architecture-awards---national-office/2014-wa-chapter-awards-and-dates-listing.pdf?sfvrsn=0 | title=WA Chapter Awards and Date Listing | year=2014 | publisher=AIA(WA) | access-date=21 May 2014}}

Notable projects

= Competition for house =

In 1933 Morison won first prize of 2,500 pounds in a Western Australian competition, run by the Royal Institute of Architects.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article32509247 |title=Our Architecture|newspaper=The West Australian |location=Perth |date=2 April 1931 |access-date=21 May 2014 |page=14 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

= Atlas Insurance Company Office =

She was employed by F.G.B Hawkins to do some minor detailing and documenting work on this building, built in Perth in 1930.

= Lawson Apartments =

In 1936, Morison worked on the design of the Lawson Apartments with Harold Boas.

= Adelphi Hotel =

In 1936, Morison worked on the design of the hotel with Harold Krantz. Morison mostly worked on completing interior detailing over an extended period of time.

= Marginata Flats =

In 1940, Morison worked on the design of the flats with Jacobsohn.

= Ruse Residence =

In 1941, Morison worked on the design of the flats with Jacobsohn.

= Packenham residence =

This small project was completed while she was a first year studio master at Old Perth Technical School during 1954 in Kellerberrin.

References

Bibliography

{{Cite book | title=Western Towns and Buildings|editor1=Pitt Morison, Margaret|editor2=White, John Graham |publisher=UWA Press|place=Nedlands|date=1979|ISBN=0-85564-156-8}}