Morris Frederick Bell (August 8, 1849 – August 2, 1929) was an American architect known primarily for his institutional buildings but also for his domestic and commercial structures. His best known work is the David R. Francis Quadrangle the historic center of the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

including

Jesse Hall Jesse Hall, formerly New Academic Hall, is the main administration building for the University of Missouri. Its dome has towered above the south end of David R. Francis Quadrangle since its completion in 1895. In the lawn in front of Jesse Hall ...

. He also designed state correctional schools in Boonville, Chillicothe, and

Tipton Tipton is an industrial town in the metropolitan borough of Sandwell, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It had a population of 38,777 at the 2011 UK Census. It is located northwest of Birmingham and southeas ...

; and state mental hospitals in Fulton, Higginsville, and

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

. Bell, a democrat, was also active in civic life, especially Masonic organizations. He trained and employed

William Lincoln Garver William Lincoln Garver was an American architect, civil engineer, author, socialist leader, and political candidate from Missouri. He was primarily an architect by trade, and learned while working under his uncle, architect Morris Frederick Bell ...

as an assistant. Garver would later go on to have a stand-alone career.

Notable works

the main building of the

, listed as part of the Francis Quadrangle Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places * M. Fred Bell Rental Cottage in

Fulton, Missouri Fulton is the largest city in and the county seat of Callaway County, Missouri, Callaway County, Missouri, United States. Located about northeast of Jefferson City, Missouri, Jefferson City and the Missouri River and east of Columbia, Missouri, ...

, listed on the National Register of Historic Places * M. Fred Bell Speculative Cottage in

, listed on the National Register of Historic Places * Brandon-Bell-Collier House in

, listed on the National Register of Historic Places * Chillicothe Industrial Home for Girls in

Chillicothe, Missouri Chillicothe is a city in the state of Missouri and the county seat of Livingston County, Missouri, Livingston County, Missouri, United States. The population was 9,107 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. The name "Chillicothe" is Shaw ...

, listed on the National Register of Historic Places * Court Street Historic Residential District in

, listed on the National Register of Historic Places * Downtown Fulton Historic District in

, listed on the National Register of Historic Places * Missouri State Penitentiary Warden's House in

Jefferson City, Missouri Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Missouri. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 United States census, ranking as the List of cities in Missouri, 16th most popu ...

, listed on the National Register of Historic Places

References

Sources

*Ohman, Marian M. ''Initial Study of Architect M.F. Bell, 1849–1929, His Contributions to the State of Missouri''. Columbia: University of Missouri, 1970. *Christensen, Lawrence O., William E. Foley, Gary R. Kremer, and Kenneth H. Winn, eds. ''Dictionary of Missouri Biography''. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1999. pp. 55–56 *"General Bell Left His Imprint on Missouri." ''Fulton Sun-Gazette''. April 27, 1980. p. 12. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Morris Frederick 1849 births 1929 deaths 19th-century American architects People from Fulton, Missouri University of Missouri people Architecture in Columbia, Missouri Architects from Missouri Fellows of the American Institute of Architects People from Hagerstown, Maryland American Freemasons 20th-century American architects Architects from Maryland

Notable works

See also

References

Sources