Murry S. King

Murry S. King (1870–1927) (often spelled "Murray") was Florida's first registered architect,[1] a noted American architect with a successful practice in Orlando, Florida, in the 1910s and 1920s.

King was born on July 13, 1870 in East Deer Township, Allegheny County, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Robert and Mary King.[2] He moved to Orlando from Pennsylvania in 1904.

From offices in Rooms 22 and 23 of the Watkins Block in Orlando, King designed handsome, dignified buildings, primarily in the Neo-Classical, Spanish Revival, Renaissance Revival and Prairie Style. King is noted for civic buildings of lasting elegance and beauty, the best known of which may be his last completed work, the stately Orange County Courthouse building which is now the headquarters of the Orange County Regional History Center (1927). Constructed of variegated Indiana limestone from the Clear Creek Quarries of the Indiana Limestone Company,[3] the completion of the building was supervised by Murry S. King's son, James B. King.

King was a charter member of the Florida State Association of Architects and served on the Florida State Board of Architecture.[4] He was a member of the American Institute of Architects.

King was the recognized leading architect among a group of architectural firms in Orlando in the 1920s. The others included: Frank L. Bodine, Fred E. Field, Frederick H. Trimble, David Hyer, George E. Krug, Howard M. Reynolds, Ryan and Roberts (Ida Annah Ryan and Isabel Roberts) and Percy P. Turner. This group of architects was quite intentional about creating in Central Florida a style of architecture that was suited to the region. Here is how they described it in an article from The Florida Circle of May 1924:

"Just as architects of old created styles to harmonize with their environment, so have the architects of Florida been creating, from native motifs, a style that is carefully adapted to the climatic conditions and surroundings of the state. This style has an individuality all its own and should have a fitting name to express its origins . . . The Florida Association of Architects will give a prize of $25.00 for the name selected." Submissions were to be sent to King; the contest was to conclude in November 1924 and the winning name announced thereafter.[5]

In 1890 Murry S. King married Ruth Ann ("Anna") Riley Dible. Their children were: Leroy (1890), Florence (1893), James B. (1894), Murry Jr (1896), Merrit (1896), and Edward (1901), Pearl (1903), all of whom were born in Pennsylvania. His son, James B. King entered into his architectural practice in the mid-1920s.[6]

Mr. King's first name appears both as "Murry" and "Murray" in contemporary sources and in Orlando histories. It is spelled "Murray" in contemporary references such as his business listing in many issues of The Winter Park Post and Orlando telephone directories, as well as the excellent photograph and brief biographical sketch of "Murray S. King" available at the following: http://www.cfhf.net/orlando/people/king.htm However, a photograph of downtown Orlando with the sign outside his office, recently found by Orlando historians Joy Wallace Dickinson and Rick Kilby, shows the spelling as "Murry".

Murry S. King died in Orlando on Sep. 20, 1927. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Orlando, Florida.[7]

Architectural Work – Partial Listing

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References

  1. ↑ http://www.thehistorycenter.org/press_kit_lib/HC_FunFacts.pdf
  2. ↑ rootsweb.com
  3. ↑ "Stone" Magazine, 1928
  4. ↑ EARLY SETTLERS OF ORANGE COUNTY FLORIDA BY C. E. HOWARD, PUBLISHED IN 1915.
  5. ↑ The Florida Circle, Jacksonville, FL, Vol. 1 No. 2, May 1924
  6. ↑ Orlando Telephone directory - Winter-Spring 1927-8
  7. ↑ http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=king&GSfn=murry&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSst=11&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=24363124&df=all&
  8. ↑ Orlando in Vintage Postcards, by Lynn M. Homan et al., p. 62
  9. ↑ Orlando in Vintage Postcards, by Lynn M. Homan et al., page 80
  10. ↑ Orlando in Vintage Postcards, By Lynn M. Homan et al., p.74
  11. ↑ Florida; a Guide to the Southern-most State, page 226
  12. ↑ http://www.cityoforlando.net/planning/cityplanning/Walk_Tour04.pdf
  13. ↑ http://www.thehistorycenter.org/
  14. ↑ Florida; a Guide to the Southern-most State, page 225
  15. ↑ Orlando in Vintage Postcards, by Lynn M. Homan et al., p. 52
  16. ↑ Reference for some of the above: "Downtown Orlando Historical Trail", http://www.apartmente.com/KEY/HISTORIAL%20TRAIL.htm
  17. ↑ Reference for some of the above: Hidden Treasures Of Design: Legends Of Architecture Left Marks On Local Scene; Orlando Sentinel, by Mary Shankin, December 24, 2000
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