Marjorie Pierce (1900 – December 7, 1999) was an American architect whose practice centered in Massachusetts.

Biography

Marjorie Pierce was born in

Malden, Massachusetts Malden is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 66,263 people. History Malden is a hilly woodland area no ...

. She received both her bachelor's degree (1922) and master's degree (1923) in architecture from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

. In her final undergraduate year, she won the Special Prize for Water Colors. She went on to study art and architecture abroad on a fellowship from the Boston Society of Architecture. In a career spanning nearly 70 years, Pierce worked mainly in Massachusetts, designing hundreds of residences and commercial buildings out of an office in

Weston Weston may refer to: Places Australia * Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Weston, New South Wales * Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra * Weston Park, Canberra, a park Canada * Weston, Nova Scotia * W ...

. She donated 80 rolls of her architectural drawings to the

MIT Museum The MIT Museum, founded in 1971, is part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It hosts collections of holography, technology-related artworks, artificial intelligence, architecture, robotics, maritime history, ...

. Pierce strongly supported architectural education at her alma mater, serving as president of the MIT Women's Association (1940–44) and endowing the

Ellen Swallow Richards Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards ( Swallow; December 3, 1842 – March 30, 1911) was an American industrial and safety engineer, environmental chemist, and university faculty member in the United States during the 19th century. Her pioneeri ...

Professorship and the William Emerson Fellowship for graduate students. When she died in late 1999, she was MIT's oldest living alumna. An MIT student residence was named the Marjorie Pierce House in her honor.

Selected buildings

* Lexington Arts and Crafts Society, Massachusetts — headquarters (1953) * 42 Summer St., Weston, Massachusetts — addition to

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the arch ...

house originally designed by

Ida Annah Ryan Ida Annah Ryan (1873–1950) was a pioneering United States architect known for her work in Massachusetts and Florida. She was the first woman to receive a Master of Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the first woman to re ...

(1961) * Old Hardy County Courthouse, Moorefield, West Virginia — remodel (1972)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pierce, Marjorie 1900 births 1999 deaths American women architects 20th-century American architects MIT School of Architecture and Planning alumni People from Malden, Massachusetts Architects from Massachusetts 20th-century American women