Morgan, Earle Clifford

MORGAN, Earle Clifford (1903-1972) was born in Newmarket, Ont. on 15 April 1903 and was educated in Toronto. He studied at the Faculty of Forestry at the Univ. of Toronto for two years (1922-24), then transferred to the Dept. of Architecture where he graduated in 1928. He moved to New York City in May 1928 and trained as a draftsman for several firms there including Louis S. Weeks, for Henry O. Milliken, and, most importantly, for the leading firm of York & Sawyer, who had just completed work on the Royal Bank head office in Montreal, and were busy with designs for the head office of the Canadian Bank of Commerce in Toronto. He then joined Peabody, Wilson & Brown, and travelled abroad in early 1931 before returning to Toronto to enroll in the post-graduate program in 1931-32 at the Univ. of Toronto. Morgan opened his own office in 1934.

His early work was for residential projects in a conservative Georgian revival style, but by 1945 he had become an advocate of the modernist style, best seen in his striking and progressive design of the drug manufacturing office and plant for Bromo-Seltzer Ltd. (1945), and the Leaside office and plant for Standard Chemical Co. (1947). However, the most significant contribution made by Morgan was developed from his business relationship with E.P. Taylor, the business tycoon and founder of Canadian Breweries and the Argus Corp. Hired by Taylor in 1946 to make additions and improvements to his Bayview Avenue estate, Morgan shared Taylor's enthusiasm for horses and horse-raising, and continued to work for Taylor over the next twenty years, designing his stud farm buildings at Windfields Farm in Toronto, the National Stud Farm in Oshawa (1966) and Taylor's farm and stables at Cecil County, Maryland, USA (1964).

Morgan became an expert in the planning of horse-racing tracks for the Ontario Jockey Club, designing the clubhouse, grandstand and stables at Greenwood Racetrack (Old Woodbine), 1956-57, 1959-60 (now demolished); New Woodbine Racetrack (1961-62), as well as Fort Erie Racetrack (1957, 1960-62, 1965), Mohawk Racetrack, Campbellville, Ont. (1962-63), and Garden City Racetrack, St. Catherines (1963-64). He also served as consulting architect for Blue Bonnets Racetrack in Montreal (1958-65). Morgan was also listed as an advisor to Page & Steele on the construction of the O'Keefe Centre, (1958-61) but the design of this landmark can be attributed to Peter Dickinson, the brilliant young British designer then with Page & Steele, and the role of Morgan in this commission is unclear. Morgan was nominated as a Fellow of the R.A.I.C. in 1956, and served as President of the Ontario Assoc. of Architects in 1962. He died in Toronto on 28 October 1972 (obituary Toronto Star, 31 October 1972, 52; Architecture Canada [Toronto], Dec. 1972, 4; biog. R.A.I.C. Journal, xxv, Aug. 1948, 284). The Ontario Archives holds an extensive collection of architectural drawings, specifications and correspondence by Morgan for the period from 1934 to 1969.

(works in Toronto unless noted)

RIVERVIEW DRIVE, residence for Harry R. McGregor, 1933-34 (C.R., xlvii, 19 July 1933, 35; C.H.G., xi, Dec. 1934, 17; and xii, Oct./Nov. 1935, 28-9, illus.; and xiii, March 1936, 35, illus.)
STRATHEARN BOULEVARD, residence for A. Stuart Hethrington, 1936 (C.H.G., xiv, Jan.-Feb. 1937, 34-5, 46, illus.)
CHATHAM, ONT., reconstruction of the Griffin Theatre, King Street, 1940 (Chatham Daily News, 30 Nov. 1940, 1)
NORTH YORK, ONT., residence for Frank L. Hilliard, Donwoods Drive, 1940 (R.A.I.C. Journal, xviii, June 1941, 102, illus.; and xxii, June 1945, 122, illus.)
STURGEON POINT, ONT., residence for Mr. Palen, 1941 (C.H.G., xviii, May 1941, 32, illus.)
CHELTENHAM AVENUE, residence for C.R. Brown, 1941 (C.H.G., xix, Jan.-Feb. 1942, 25, illus.)
ROCHESTER AVENUE, residence for E.T. Miles Barratt, 1941 (C.H.G., xix, Jan.-Feb. 1942, 24, illus.; R.A.I.C. Journal, xxii, June 1945, 123, illus.)
OAKVILLE, ONT., residence for Ernest J. St. Mars, Gloucester Street, c. 1943 (R.A.I.C. Journal, xxi, Feb. 1944, 36, illus.; C.H.G., xxii, Jan. 1945, 18, illus.)
OAKVILLE, ONT., residence for Dr. F.M. Deans, King Street, c. 1943 (R.A.I.C. Journal, xxi, Feb. 1944, 37, illus.; C.H.G., xxii, Jan. 1945, 19, illus.)
BROMO-SELTZER LTD., Queen Street West at Noble Street, office and warehouse, 1945 (R.A.I.C. Journal, xxiii, July 1946, 170, illus.)
NORTH YORK TOWNSHIP, ONT., Transmitter Station for Radio Station CHUM, Yonge Street North, 1946 (R.A.I.C. Journal, xxiii, Oct. 1946, 259, illus. & descrip.)
STANDARD CHEMICAL CO., Vanderhoof Avenue, factory, 1947-48 (R.A.I.C. Journal, xxv, June 1948, 206-7, illus.)
NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS LTD., Danforth Avenue at West Lynn Avenue, office and warehouse, 1948 (R.A.I.C. Journal, xxv, Aug. 1948, 274-5, illus.)
MUIRHEAD'S RESTAURANT, Adelaide Street West near Yonge Street, 1948 (R.A.I.C. Journal, xxv, Aug. 1948, 268-69)
PEASE FOUNDRY CO. LTD., Laird Drive, 1950 (R.A.I.C. Journal, xxviii, March 1951, 74, illus.)
O'KEEFE BREWING CO., store and office, Dundas Street West at Simcoe Street, 1950-51; demol. (R.A.I.C. Journal, xxx, April 1953, 100, 102, illus.)