
Margaret Lillian Pitt Morison (3 December 1900 – 12 December 1985) was an Australian architect. She was the first female architect member in
Western Australia
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
. As a practitioner, educator and historian, she made important contributions to Australian
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...
during the 19th and 20th most prominently in
Western Australia
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
.
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.
Morison was born in
North Perth.
She was educated at the
St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls
St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls is an Australian independent non-selective Anglican single-sex primary and secondary day and boarding school for girls, located in Mosman Park, a western suburb of Perth, Western Australia. In addition ...
and
Perth Modern School
Perth Modern School (colloquially known as Perth Mod) is a public co-educational academically selective high school, located in Subiaco, an inner city suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Perth Modern is Western Australia's only fully academica ...
.
Career
In 1920, Morison was articled to
Geoffrey Edwin Summerhayes
Geoffrey Edwin Summerhayes, OAM (15 September 1928 – 22 September 2010) was an Australian architect, who was based in Perth, Western Australia.
Summerhayes studied architecture at Princeton and was taught by Professor Jean Labatut. Summerhaye ...
and completed her training with the firm of Eales & Cohen. She was registered as Western Australia's first female architect in October 1924. Late in 1925 she travelled to
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
, with her parents and in the following year she started working with the architectural firm, Cedric Ballantyne before studying at the
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...
's Architectural Atelier. 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. She then undertook the design of the Myola Club in Claremont with Krantz in 1934.
During the following years, she worked mainly for Oldham,
Boas and Ednie-Brown, where she did the interior detailing of the Adelphi Hotel, the remodelling of the
Karrakatta Club
The Karrakatta Club is a female-only women's club in Perth, Western Australia. Established in 1894, it was the first women's club in Australia.
History
The Karrakatta Club was founded in 1894 by members of Amy Jane Best's St George Reading Ci ...
in 1936 and the detailing of the
Emu Brewery
The Emu Brewery was a brewery in Perth, Western Australia, which traced its history to the first decade of the Swan River Colony. Founded in 1837 by James Stokes as the ''Albion Brewery'', it was located beside the Swan River on a block bound ...
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
H is the eighth letter of the Latin alphabet.
H may also refer to:
Musical symbols
* H number, Harry Halbreich reference mechanism for music by Honegger and Martinů
* H, B (musical note)
* H, B major
People
* H. (noble) (died after 127 ...
, returning to Perth in 1948 where she taught an architectural course at
Old Perth Technical School
The 1910 Perth Technical School building is located at 137 St Georges Terrace, Perth, Western Australia, adjacent to the Old Perth Boys School building, which had served as part of the school's former temporary premises since opening of classes ...
until 1962.
At the
1953 Western Australian state election
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 14 February 1953 to elect all 50 members to the Legislative Assembly. The two-term Liberal- Country Party coalition government, led by Premier Sir Ross McLarty, was defeated by the Labor P ...
, Pitt Morison stood as an
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also known as the Labor Party or simply Labor, is the major Centre-left politics, centre-left List of political parties in Australia, political party in Australia and one of two Major party, major parties in Po ...
candidate for the
Legislative Assembly seat of
Nedlands. Although she was not elected, there was a swing away from the sitting member
Charles Court
Sir Charles Walter Michael Court (29 September 1911 – 22 December 2007) was an Australian politician who was the premier of Western Australia from 8 April 1974 to 25 January 1982. A member of the Western Australian Liberal Party, Liberal Par ...
.
In 1967, she commenced work for the City Planners Department at the
City of Perth
The City of Perth is a local government areas of Western Australia, local government area and body, within the Perth metropolitan area, which is the capital of Western Australia. The local government is commonly known as Perth City Council. T ...
as an assistant research officer, continuing until 1971. In 1971, she was employed by the
University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Crawley, Western Australia, Crawley, a suburb in the City of Perth local government area. UW ...
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
The Australian Institute of Architects, officially the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (abbreviated as RAIA), is Australia's professional body for architects. Its members use the post-nominals FRAIA (Fellow), ARAIA (Associate Member) an ...
. 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.
Death and legacy
Pitt Morison died at
Nedlands on 12 December 1985.
The
University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Crawley, Western Australia, Crawley, a suburb in the City of Perth local government area. UW ...
awards the Margaret Pitt-Morison Memorial Prize to outstanding environmental design students.
The WA Chapter of the
Australian Institute of Architects
The Australian Institute of Architects, officially the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (abbreviated as RAIA), is Australia's professional body for architects. Its members use the post-nominals FRAIA (Fellow), ARAIA (Associate Member) an ...
named their annual Margaret Pitt Morison Award for Heritage after her.
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.
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
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
in 1930.
Lawson Apartments
In 1936, Morison worked on the design of the
Lawson Apartments
Lawson Apartments are located at 2–4 Sherwood Court near the corner with The Esplanade, in Perth, Western Australia. They are situated across the road from the Elizabeth Quay precinct (formerly the Esplanade Reserve) and adjacent to the We ...
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
The 1910 Perth Technical School building is located at 137 St Georges Terrace, Perth, Western Australia, adjacent to the Old Perth Boys School building, which had served as part of the school's former temporary premises since opening of classes ...
during 1954 in
Kellerberrin.
References
Bibliography
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Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pitt Morison, Margaret
1900 births
1985 deaths
Architects from Western Australia
Architects from Perth, Western Australia
20th-century Australian architects
Australian women architects
20th-century Australian women artists
20th-century Australian artists
People educated at Perth Modern School
People educated at St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls
University of Melbourne alumni