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
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
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]
Personal life
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]
Legacy
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
Churches
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. Patrick, 220 Bates St,
Lewiston, Maine
[42]
1892 - St. Edward, 458 Main St,
Medfield, Massachusetts
[43]
1892 - St. Patrick, 46 E Central St,
Natick, Massachusetts
[44]
1896 - Holy Name, 99 Camp St, Providence, Rhode Island
[45]
1896 - St. Mary, 17 Waterville St,
North Grafton, Massachusetts
[46]
1896 - St. Thomas, Columbia St,
Adams, Massachusetts
[47]
1902 - St. Peter, 16 Russell St,
Great Barrington, Massachusetts
[48]
Other buildings
1872 - St. John Rectory, 63 Church St,
Slatersville, Rhode Island
[49]
1881 -
St. Michael Hall and School, 260 State St,
Springfield, Massachusetts
[50]
1883 - St. Bernard Rectory, 240 Water St.,
Fitchburg, Massachusetts
[51]
1898 - Tyler School, Plain & Maple, Providence, Rhode Island
[52]
The cathedral school, demolished
See also
References
^
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.
^ 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.