Michael J. Murphy
Michael J. Murphy Portrait
Born
Michael James Murphy

June 26, 1885 (1885-06-26)
Mendon, Utah, US
Died6 March 1959(1959-03-06) (aged 73)
Lane County, Oregon, US
OccupationBuilder
SpouseEdna M. Owens
Children4

Michael James Murphy (June 26, 1885 – March 6, 1959) was an American master builder in the Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. He had a significant influence on the character and architecture of the Village of Carmel. From 1902 to 1940, he built nearly 350 buildings. He founded M. J. Murphy, Inc., which continues to supply building material for the Monterey Peninsula.[1]

Early life

Murphy was born in Mendon, Utah, on June 26, 1885. He was one of the twelve children of Michael and Martha Emma Hagle and grew up on his family's cattle ranch. In 1891, his parents sold the ranch and separated. In 1900, Emma and her five unmarried children moved from Utah to Los Angeles.[1][2]

Career

Photo of M. J. Murphy with his wife and children.

In 1901, Emma brought Murphy and her youngest daughter to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. They were promised work to construct small Victorian cottages for real estate developer James Franklin Devendorf and his Carmel Development Company.[3]

Murphy developed his own designs and did most of the building himself. As his reputation grew, more people wanted Murphy built homes.[1] Murphy went back to Idaho to marry Edna M. Owens (1886-1954) on February 13, 1904, in Malad, Oneida, Idaho.[4]

Murphy with his mother and sister in front of First Murphy House.

In 1902, Murphy, at age 17, built his first one-story wood-framed home, a 820 square feet (76 m2) cottage, for his mother and sister on Mission Street between fifth and sixth Avenues. The home was a mixture of Victorian and Craftsman Bungalow. It has a horizontal clapboard wood siding and a used brick exterior wall chimney located on the South side.[5]

In 1990, to save the house from demolition, and with the support of the Carmel Heritage Society, the citizens of Carmel formed the First Murphy Foundation, which raised $16,000 for the relocation of the Murphy house. The City of Carmel offered city-owned property at Lincoln Street and Sixth Avenue for the relocation site. The house occupies part of First Murphy Park and bronze sculpture on a commemorative wood bench by George W. Lundeen, at the corner of Lincoln and Sixth.[5][6]

In 1914, Murphy became a general contractor and in 1924, he established M. J. Murphy, Inc., a business which sold building supplies, did rock crushing and concrete services, and operated a lumber mill and cabinet shop. His company did the rock crushing and supplied wood materials for the construction of the Big Sur Coast Highway.[4]

Murphy was hired by Robinson Jeffers in 1919 to build the first part of the Tor House a small, two-story cottage. During the first stage of construction Jeffers studied under Murphy as an apprentice. Jeffers went on to finish the house and build Hawk Tower in 1924.[1]: p57 

Murphy was also a Carmel City Council member and helped with the plans for planting trees along Ocean Avenue.[4]

Murphy retired in 1941 and turned his business over to his son James Franklin Murphy.[4]: p21  After his wife Edna died on June 20, 1954, Murphy moved to Oregon.

Death and legacy

Murphy died on March 6, 1959 in Lane County, Oregon.[7] He was buried at the Chapel of the Chimes, Alameda, California.

In 1992, the First Murphy House became the home for the Carmel Heritage Society. The house was declared historical by the City of Carmel and was registered with the California Register of Historical Resources on November 7, 2002. The house is significant under California Register criterion 2, for the contributions of Murphy in establishing the early residential character of the village between 1902 and the early 1920s.[5]

Works

About 350 buildings in Carmel are attributed to Michael J. Murphy.[4] It is estimated that about 80% of the homes in Carmel were designed or constructed by him in the 1930s.[1][8]


References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Grimes, Teresa; Heumann, Leslie. "Historic Context Statement Carmel-by-the-Sea" (PDF). Leslie Heumann and Associates1994. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  2. ↑ Seavey, Kent (2007). Carmel, A History in Architecture. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California: Arcadia Pub. p. 114. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  3. ↑ Watson, Lisa Crawford (July 6, 2015). Legendary Locals of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California: Arcadia Publishing Incorporated. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Hale, Sharron Lee (1980). A tribute to yesterday: The history of Carmel, Carmel Valley, Big Sur, Point Lobos, Carmelite Monastery, and Los Burros. Santa Cruz, California: Valley Publishers. p. 20. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  5. 1 2 3 Kent L. Seavey (November 7, 2002). "Department Of Parks And Recreation". National Park Service. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  6. ↑ Dramov, Alissandra (2019). Historic Buildings of Downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California: Arcadia Publishing. pp. 42–43, 79. ISBN 9781467103039. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  7. ↑ "Four to Inherit $80,008 Estate". The Californian. Salinas, California. 4 Apr 1959. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  8. ↑ "City Of Carmel-By-The-Sea Downtown Conservation District Historic Property Survey" (PDF). ci.carmel.ca.us. Carmel, California. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Paul, Linda Leigh (2000). "Mabel Gray Young's Lachmund". Cottages by the Sea, The Handmade Homes of Carmel, America's First Artist Community. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California: Universe. p. 30. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  10. ↑ Mary Brownfield (June 20, 2008). "Log Cabin, Tudor House Not Important To City's History" (PDF). Carmel Pine Cone. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
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