William Morgan (architect)

William Newton Morgan, Sr. (December 14, 1930 – January 18, 2016) was an American architect and author, based in Jacksonville, Florida.[1] Three of his designs are included on the Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects list of Florida's top 100 buildings (The Williamson House in Ponte Vedra Beach; Morgan's residence in Atlantic Beach; and Dickinson Hall at the University of Florida, formerly the Museum of Natural History). He has written five books including his most recent, Earth Architecture (2008). In 2012 the University of Florida awarded Morgan an honorary doctor of arts degree as well as the first recipient of its School of Architecture's Lifetime Achievement Award. Morgan has been described as a pioneer of sustainable design.[2]

William Morgan
Born	December 14, 1930 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
Died	January 18, 2016 (aged 85)
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Harvard University
Occupation	Architect
Spouse(s)	Bunny (1958–2016; his death)
Awards	House & Home Award of Merit Florida AIA Design Honor Award H.J. Klutho Lifetime achievement Award

Dickinson Hall entrance at the University of Florida

Morgan grew up in Jacksonville and graduated with a bachelor's degree from Harvard University before serving in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. After the war he returned to Harvard to study architecture. He studied in Italy on a Fulbright Scholarship (U.S.-Italy Fulbright Commission) and then returned to Jacksonville in 1961 to open his architecture practice in the city where he had grown up.[2]

Morgan's five books cover the architecture of pre-industrial cultures, including those in pre-Columbian North America and Micronesia.[2] He died in Jacksonville after a long illness on January 18, 2016, aged 85.[3]

Works

Wing of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Jacksonville, Florida. Formerly the Daniel State Office Building

• Williamson House, Ponte Vedra Beach (1966), AIA Florida Award of Merit (1964) and listed on AIA's list of Top 100 buildings in Florida[2][4]
• Museum of Science and History (1969), adjacent to Friendship Fountain, formally the Jacksonville Children's Museum[3]
• Dickinson Hall (1971) at the University of Florida campus in Gainesville, formerly the Museum of Natural History/ Florida Museum of Natural Sciences. The earth-bermed concrete building is listed on AIA's Top 100 Buildings in Florida[2][5]
• Police Administration Building, Jacksonville [2]
• Daniel State Office Building, Jacksonville (now an annex and parking garage for the Hyatt Regency Riverfront Hotel)[2]
• Morgan home, Atlantic Beach (1974), Morgan's home in Atlantic Beach, influenced by the stepped structure of the Roman seaside town Herculaneum[6] Listed on AIA's Top 100 Buildings in Florida[7]

See also

• Architecture of Jacksonville

References

1. "Florida Registered Voters". FLVOTERS dot COM. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
2. "University of Florida honors architect William Morgan with a Lifetime Achievement Award". Jacksonville.com. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
3. "William Morgan, influential Jacksonville architect and expert on ancient designs, dies at 85". Jacksonville.com. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
4. "Williamson Residence (AIA Florida Top 100 Buildings)". Aiaflatop100.org. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
5. "Florida Museum of Natural History / Formerly Florida Museum of Natural Sciences (AIA Florida Top 100 Buildings)". Aiaflatop100.org. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
6. "William Morgan: Selected and Current Works," by Robert McCarter (2002)
7. "William Morgan House (AIA Florida Top 100 Buildings)". Aiaflatop100.org. Retrieved 2016-01-29.