Irish-American architect (1834–1907)
James Murphy
St. Patrick's, Norwich (1873)
Born 1834 Died 1907 Nationality American Known for Architect of at least 45 catholic churches
James Murphy , FAIA , (1834–1907) was an Irish-American architect active in late-nineteenth- and early twentieth-century New England , who designed numerous Roman Catholic churches and related structures.
Early life and career [ edit ]
Murphy was born in 1834 in County Tipperary, Ireland . In 1852, he emigrated to the United States along with his brother Michael. Soon after his arrival, he entered the Brooklyn, New York , firm of Patrick C. Keely as an apprentice. Keely was already an established architect specializing in ecclesiastical design. Eventually, Murphy became a partner in the firm, operating as Keely & Murphy . Murphy would later marry Keely's sister-in-law.
Architectural practice [ edit ]
By the mid-1860s, the duo opened a branch office in Providence, Rhode Island . In 1875, the partnership was dissolved and Murphy established his own practice.[ 1] Murphy continued to specialize in church design for the ever-growing number of Roman Catholic parishes during the late nineteenth century, particularly in the southern New England area of Massachusetts , Rhode Island , and Connecticut .
In the 1880s and 1890s, Murphy employed his nephew, Ambrose J. Murphy , who would later partner with Frank R. Hindle . Some time around 1900, Murphy established a new office in Boston, Massachusetts .
In 1870, Murphy joined the American Institute of Architects , and was elevated to Fellowship in 1885.[ 2]
James Murphy married Patrick Charles Keely 's sister-in-law. Murphy had a brother, Michael Murphy, with whom he emigrated to America . The architect, Ambrose J. Murphy , was his nephew. Murphy died April 18, 1907, at the Holy Ghost Hospital (Cambridge, Massachusetts) in Cambridge, Massachusetts .[ 3]
Ambrose J. Murphy continued James Murphy's firm after 1907. He entered into partnership with Frank R. Hindle to form the firm of Murphy & Hindle , which practiced architecture in Rhode Island until the 1940s. That firm also specialized in church design.[ 4]
Architectural works [ edit ]
1862 - St. Bridget, 455 Plymouth St, Abington, Massachusetts [ 5]
1864 - St. Gregory, 2223 Dorchester Ave, Dorchester, Massachusetts [ 6]
1864 - St. Mary, 540 Broadway, Providence, Rhode Island[ 7]
1866 - St. Mary, 134 Norfolk St, Cambridge, Massachusetts [ 8]
1867 - St. John, 72 S Main St, Concord, New Hampshire [ 9]
1867 - St. Mary , 669 West Ave, Norwalk, Connecticut [ 10]
1868 - Immaculate Conception, 11 Prospect St, Marlborough, Massachusetts [ 11]
1868 - St. Michael , Prairie & Oxford, Providence, Rhode Island[ 12]
Replaced in 1915, burned 1970s
1869 - Our Lady of Mercy, 500 Main St, East Greenwich, Rhode Island [ 13]
1869 - St. Bernard, 240 Water St, Fitchburg, Massachusetts [ 14]
1870 - St. Joseph, 264 Washington St, Somerville, Massachusetts [ 15]
1870 - St. Mary , 5 Hillhouse Ave, New Haven, Connecticut [ 16]
1870 - St. Patrick, 7 East St, Whitinsville, Massachusetts [ 17]
1871 - Holy Trinity, 133 Main St, Greenfield, Massachusetts [ 18]
1871 - St. John, 17 Chestnut St, Peabody, Massachusetts [ 19]
1871 - St. John, 352 Atwells Ave, Providence, Rhode Island[ 20] [ 21]
1872 - St. John, 63 Church St, Slatersville, Rhode Island [ 22]
1873 - Our Lady Help of Christians , 573 Washington St, Newton, Massachusetts [ 23]
1873 - St. John , 279 Atlantic St, Stamford, Connecticut [ 24]
1873 - St. Patrick , 213 Broadway, Norwich, Connecticut [ 25]
1874 - Sacred Heart of Jesus, 166 Cross St, Gardner, Massachusetts [ 26]
1875 - Notre Dame du Sacre Coeur, 222 E Main St, North Adams, Massachusetts [ 27]
1875 - St. Joseph, 115 Union St, Lynn, Massachusetts [ 28]
1878 - St. Mary, 90 7th St, Turners Falls, Massachusetts [ 29]
1880 - St. Patrick, Main & Park, Williamstown, Massachusetts [ 30]
1881 - St. Francis, 318 Church St, Naugatuck, Connecticut [ 31]
1881 - St. Mary, 30 Bartlett St, Westfield, Massachusetts [ 32]
1881 - St. Thomas, 2 E Main St, Huntington, Massachusetts [ 33]
1882 - St. Mary , 239 Greenwood Ave, Bethel, Connecticut
1885 - St. Louis , 440 Bradford Ave, Fall River, Massachusetts [ 34]
1885 - St. Mary , 103 Pine St, Pawtucket, Rhode Island [ 35]
1888 - Holy Rosary, Mosher & West, Holyoke, Massachusetts [ 36]
1888 - Sacred Heart, 387 Chestnut St, Springfield, Massachusetts [ 37]
1889 - Holy Trinity , 134 Fuller Ave, Central Falls, Rhode Island [ 38]
1889 - St. Edward, 997 Branch Ave, Wanskuck, Rhode Island [ 39]
1889 - St. Margaret, 1098 Pawtucket Ave, Rumford, Rhode Island [ 40]
1889 - St. Patrick , 170 Thompson St, Bridgeport, Connecticut [ 41]
1890 - St. Joseph's , 1303 Mendon Rd, Ashton, Rhode Island [ 42]
1890 - St. Patrick, 220 Bates St, Lewiston, Maine [ 43]
1892 - St. Edward, 458 Main St, Medfield, Massachusetts [ 44]
1892 - St. Patrick, 46 E Central St, Natick, Massachusetts [ 45]
1896 - Holy Name, 99 Camp St, Providence, Rhode Island[ 46]
1896 - St. Mary, 17 Waterville St, North Grafton, Massachusetts [ 47]
1896 - St. Thomas, Columbia St, Adams, Massachusetts [ 48]
1902 - St. Peter, 16 Russell St, Great Barrington, Massachusetts [ 49]
1872 - St. John Rectory, 63 Church St, Slatersville, Rhode Island [ 50]
1881 - St. Michael Hall and School, 260 State St, Springfield, Massachusetts [ 51]
1883 - St. Bernard Rectory, 240 Water St., Fitchburg, Massachusetts [ 52]
1898 - Tyler School, Plain & Maple, Providence, Rhode Island[ 53]
The cathedral school, demolished
^ St. Patrick's (accessed 17 January 2011)
^ James Murphy , AIA Historical Directory of American Architects.
^ RIHS, Murphy, Hindle and Wright Architects Records (Accessed 17 January 2011)
^ Dr. Kevin F. Decker , Department of History, State University of New York at Plattsburgh
^ Hobard, Benjamin. History of the Town of Abington . 1866.
^ Shand-Tucci, Paul Douglass. The Gothic Churches of Dorchester . 1973.
^ Woodward, William McKenzie. Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources . 1986.
^ Lord, Robert H., John E. Sexton, and Edward T. Harrington. History of the Archdiocese of Boston in the Various Stages of its Development . 1944.
^ History of the Catholic Church in the New England States . 1899.
^ "Saint Mary Roman Catholic Church, Norwalk (1870)". historicbuildingsct.com . 25 Dec. 2014.
^ "Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church" http://mhc-macris.net/ . Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web.
^ Saint Michael's Roman Catholic Church Complex NRHP Nomination . 1975.
^ "History". http://www.o [permanent dead link ] lmparish.org/ . 2012.
^ "Saint Bernard's Roman Catholic Church" http://mhc-macris.net/ . Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web.
^ "Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic Church" http://mhc-macris.net/ . Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web.
^ Brown, Elizabeth Mills. New Haven: A Guide to Architecture and Urban Design . 1976.
^ History of the Catholic Church in the New England States . 1899.
^ "Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church" http://mhc-macris.net/ . Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web.
^ Hurd, D. Hamilton. History of Essex County, Massachusetts . 1888.
^ Conley, Patrick T. and Matthew J. Smith. Catholicism in Rhode Island: The Formative Era . 1976.
^ Greene, Welcome Arnold. The Providence Plantations for 250 Years . 1886.
^ Slatersville Historic District NRHP Nomination . 1973.
^ "Our Lady Help of Christians Historic District" http://mhc-macris.net/ . Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web.
^ History of the Catholic Church in the New England States . 1899.
^ Staley, Patricia F. Norwich in the Gilded Age: The Rose City's Millionaires' Triangle . 2014.
^ History of the Catholic Church in the New England States . 1899.
^ "Notre Dame Roman Catholic Church" http://mhc-macris.net/ . Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web.
^ "Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic Church" http://mhc-macris.net/ . Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web.
^ History of the Catholic Church in the New England States . 1899.
^ History of the Catholic Church in the New England States . 1899.
^ Gagliardi, Ron. Images of America: Naugatuck Revisited . 2004.
^ Lockwood, John H. Westfield and Its Historic Influences, 1669-1919: The Life of an Early Town . 1922.
^ Cooke, Rollin H. Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Berkshire County, Massachusetts . 1906.
^ "Saint Louis Church" http://mhc-macris.net/ . Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web.
^ Sanitary Engineer 17 Sept. 1885: 316.
^ Engineering and Building Record 10 Dec. 1887: 31.
^ "Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church" http://mhc-macris.net/ . Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web.
^ Holy Trinity Church Complex NRHP Nomination . 1978.
^ Woodward, William McKenzie. Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources . 1986.
^ Norton, Paul F. Rhode Island Stained Glass An Historical Guide . 2001.
^ Engineering and Building Record 26 Oct. 1889: 311.
^ "St. Joseph's Church and Parish," Providence Journal , April 27, 1890, 7.
^ Historic Lewiston: A Self-guided Tour of Our History, Architecture and Culture . 2001.
^ "Saint Edward's Roman Catholic Church" http://mhc-macris.net/ . Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web.
^ "Saint Patrick's Roman Catholic Church" http://mhc-macris.net/ . Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web.
^ Woodward, William McKenzie. Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources . 1986.
^ History of the Catholic Church in the New England States . 1899.
^ History of the Catholic Church in the New England States . 1899.
^ American Architect and Building News 9 Aug. 1902: x.
^ Slatersville Historic District NRHP Nomination . 1973.
^ Donahoe's Magazine 1 Sept. 1881: 280.
^ "Saint Bernard's Roman Catholic Rectory" http://mhc-macris.net/ . Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web.
^ Cady, John Hutchins . The Civic and Architectural Development of Providence, 1636-1950 . 1957.