James Murphy, FAIA, (1834–1907) was an Irish-American architect active in late-nineteenth- and early twentieth-century New England, who designed numerous Roman Catholic churches and related structures.

Early life and career Murphy was born in 1834 in County Tipperary, Ireland. In 1852, he emigrated to the United States along with his brother Michael. Soon after his arrival, he entered the Brooklyn, New York, firm of Patrick C. Keely as an apprentice. Keely was already an established architect specializing in ecclesiastical design. Eventually, Murphy became a partner in the firm, operating as Keely & Murphy. Murphy would later marry Keely's sister-in-law.

Architectural practice By the mid-1860s, the duo opened a branch office in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1875, the partnership was dissolved and Murphy established his own practice.St. Patrick's (accessed 17 January 2011) Murphy continued to specialize in church design for the ever-growing number of Roman Catholic parishes during the late nineteenth century, particularly in the southern New England area of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

In the 1880s and 1890s, Murphy employed his nephew, Ambrose J. Murphy, who would later partner with Frank R. Hindle. Some time around 1900, Murphy established a new office in Boston, Massachusetts.

In 1870, Murphy joined the American Institute of Architects, and was elevated to Fellowship in 1885.James Murphy, AIA Historical Directory of American Architects.

Personal life James Murphy married Patrick Charles Keely's sister-in-law. Murphy had a brother, Michael Murphy, with whom he emigrated to America. The architect, Ambrose J. Murphy, was his nephew. Murphy died April 18, 1907, at the Holy Ghost Hospital (Cambridge, Massachusetts) in Cambridge, Massachusetts.RIHS, Murphy, Hindle and Wright Architects Records (Accessed 17 January 2011)

Legacy Ambrose J. Murphy continued James Murphy's firm after 1907. He entered into partnership with Frank R. Hindle to form the firm of Murphy & Hindle, which practiced architecture in Rhode Island until the 1940s. That firm also specialized in church design.Dr. Kevin F. Decker, Department of History, State University of New York at Plattsburgh

Architectural works

Churches

1862 - St. Bridget, 455 Plymouth St, Abington, MassachusettsHobard, Benjamin. History of the Town of Abington. 1866. 1864 - St. Gregory, 2223 Dorchester Ave, Dorchester, MassachusettsShand-Tucci, Paul Douglass. The Gothic Churches of Dorchester. 1973. Demolished 1864 - St. Mary, 540 Broadway, Providence, Rhode IslandWoodward, William McKenzie. Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources. 1986. 1866 - St. Mary, 134 Norfolk St, Cambridge, MassachusettsLord, Robert H., John E. Sexton, and Edward T. Harrington. History of the Archdiocese of Boston in the Various Stages of its Development. 1944. A Keely & Murphy project 1867 - St. John, 72 S Main St, Concord, New HampshireHistory of the Catholic Church in the New England States. 1899. A Keely & Murphy project 1867 - St. Mary, 669 West Ave, Norwalk, Connecticut"Saint Mary Roman Catholic Church, Norwalk (1870)". historicbuildingsct.com. 25 Dec. 2014. 1868 - Immaculate Conception, 11 Prospect St, Marlborough, Massachusetts"Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church" http://mhc-macris.net/. Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web. 1868 - St. Michael, Prairie & Oxford, Providence, Rhode IslandSaint Michael's Roman Catholic Church Complex NRHP Nomination. 1975. Replaced in 1915, burned 1970s 1869 - Our Lady of Mercy, 500 Main St, East Greenwich, Rhode Island"History". http://www.olmparish.org/. 2012. Demolished 1869 - St. Bernard, 240 Water St, Fitchburg, Massachusetts"Saint Bernard's Roman Catholic Church" http://mhc-macris.net/. Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web. 1870 - St. Joseph, 264 Washington St, Somerville, Massachusetts"Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic Church" http://mhc-macris.net/. Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web. 1870 - St. Mary, 5 Hillhouse Ave, New Haven, ConnecticutBrown, Elizabeth Mills. New Haven: A Guide to Architecture and Urban Design. 1976. 1870 - St. Patrick, 7 East St, Whitinsville, MassachusettsHistory of the Catholic Church in the New England States. 1899. Demolished 1871 - Holy Trinity, 133 Main St, Greenfield, Massachusetts"Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church" http://mhc-macris.net/. Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web. 1871 - St. John, 17 Chestnut St, Peabody, MassachusettsHurd, D. Hamilton. History of Essex County, Massachusetts. 1888. 1871 - St. John, 352 Atwells Ave, Providence, Rhode IslandConley, Patrick T. and Matthew J. Smith. Catholicism in Rhode Island: The Formative Era. 1976.Greene, Welcome Arnold. The Providence Plantations for 250 Years. 1886. Demolished in 1992 1872 - St. John, 63 Church St, Slatersville, Rhode IslandSlatersville Historic District NRHP Nomination. 1973. 1873 - Our Lady Help of Christians, 573 Washington St, Newton, Massachusetts"Our Lady Help of Christians Historic District" http://mhc-macris.net/. Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web. 1873 - St. John, 279 Atlantic St, Stamford, ConnecticutHistory of the Catholic Church in the New England States. 1899. 1873 - St. Patrick, 213 Broadway, Norwich, ConnecticutStaley, Patricia F. Norwich in the Gilded Age: The Rose City's Millionaires' Triangle. 2014. Cathedral status in 1952 1874 - Sacred Heart of Jesus, 166 Cross St, Gardner, MassachusettsHistory of the Catholic Church in the New England States. 1899. Burned in 1889 1875 - Notre Dame du Sacre Coeur, 222 E Main St, North Adams, Massachusetts"Notre Dame Roman Catholic Church" http://mhc-macris.net/. Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web. 1875 - St. Joseph, 115 Union St, Lynn, Massachusetts"Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic Church" http://mhc-macris.net/. Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web. 1878 - St. Mary, 90 7th St, Turners Falls, MassachusettsHistory of the Catholic Church in the New England States. 1899. 1880 - St. Patrick, Main & Park, Williamstown, MassachusettsHistory of the Catholic Church in the New England States. 1899. Demolished 1881 - St. Francis, 318 Church St, Naugatuck, ConnecticutGagliardi, Ron. Images of America: Naugatuck Revisited. 2004. 1881 - St. Mary, 30 Bartlett St, Westfield, MassachusettsLockwood, John H. Westfield and Its Historic Influences, 1669-1919: The Life of an Early Town. 1922. 1881 - St. Thomas, 2 E Main St, Huntington, MassachusettsCooke, Rollin H. Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Berkshire County, Massachusetts. 1906. 1882 - St. Mary, 239 Greenwood Ave, Bethel, Connecticut 1885 - St. Louis, 440 Bradford Ave, Fall River, Massachusetts"Saint Louis Church" http://mhc-macris.net/. Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web. Demolished in 2010 1885 - St. Mary, 103 Pine St, Pawtucket, Rhode IslandSanitary Engineer 17 Sept. 1885: 316. 1888 - Holy Rosary, Mosher & West, Holyoke, MassachusettsEngineering and Building Record 10 Dec. 1887: 31. Demolished 1888 - Sacred Heart, 387 Chestnut St, Springfield, Massachusetts"Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church" http://mhc-macris.net/. Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web. 1889 - Holy Trinity, 134 Fuller Ave, Central Falls, Rhode IslandHoly Trinity Church Complex NRHP Nomination. 1978. Demolished 1889 - St. Edward, 997 Branch Ave, Wanskuck, Rhode IslandWoodward, William McKenzie. Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources. 1986. 1889 - St. Margaret, 1098 Pawtucket Ave, Rumford, Rhode IslandNorton, Paul F. Rhode Island Stained Glass An Historical Guide. 2001. Burned in 1988 1889 - St. Patrick, 170 Thompson St, Bridgeport, ConnecticutEngineering and Building Record 26 Oct. 1889: 311. Completed by Dwyer & McMahon in 1910 1890 - St. Joseph's, 1303 Mendon Rd, Ashton, Rhode Island"St. Joseph's Church and Parish," Providence Journal, April 27, 1890, 7. 1890 - St. Patrick, 220 Bates St, Lewiston, MaineHistoric Lewiston: A Self-guided Tour of Our History, Architecture and Culture. 2001. 1892 - St. Edward, 458 Main St, Medfield, Massachusetts"Saint Edward's Roman Catholic Church" http://mhc-macris.net/. Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web. Demolished 1892 - St. Patrick, 46 E Central St, Natick, Massachusetts"Saint Patrick's Roman Catholic Church" http://mhc-macris.net/. Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web. 1896 - Holy Name, 99 Camp St, Providence, Rhode IslandWoodward, William McKenzie. Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources. 1986. 1896 - St. Mary, 17 Waterville St, North Grafton, MassachusettsHistory of the Catholic Church in the New England States. 1899. Burned in 1948 1896 - St. Thomas, Columbia St, Adams, MassachusettsHistory of the Catholic Church in the New England States. 1899. 1902 - St. Peter, 16 Russell St, Great Barrington, MassachusettsAmerican Architect and Building News 9 Aug. 1902: x.

Other buildings

1872 - St. John Rectory, 63 Church St, Slatersville, Rhode IslandSlatersville Historic District NRHP Nomination. 1973. 1881 - St. Michael Hall and School, 260 State St, Springfield, MassachusettsDonahoe's Magazine 1 Sept. 1881: 280. Demolished 1883 - St. Bernard Rectory, 240 Water St., Fitchburg, Massachusetts"Saint Bernard's Roman Catholic Rectory" http://mhc-macris.net/. Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web. 1898 - Tyler School, Plain & Maple, Providence, Rhode IslandCady, John Hutchins. The Civic and Architectural Development of Providence, 1636-1950. 1957. The cathedral school, demolished

See also Patrick W. Ford, a contemporary church architect.

References