LUKE, Morley Corbus (1901-1967), a prominent architect who worked in Montreal, Que. for the duration of his professional career, and was a partner in the following firms:
Perry & Luke, Montreal, 1927 to 1938 (with A. Leslie Perry)
Perry, Luke & Little, Montreal, 1938 to 1943 (with A. Leslie Perry and Harold B. Little)
Luke & Little, Montreal, 1943 to May 1946 (with Harold B. Little)
Luke, Little & Mace, Montreal, June 1946 to December 1949 (with Harold B. Little and Thomas H. Mace)
Luke & Little, Montreal, January 1950 to 1964 (with Harold B. Little)
Born in Chicago, Ill. on 13 April 1901, he was brought to Canada as a child and attended public schools in Ottawa and in Montreal. He enrolled in the architecture department at McGill University in 1919 and spent his summers training in the local architectural offices of Frank Peden (in 1920), with John S. Archibald (in 1921), and with Nobbs & Hyde (in 1922). After graduating with his degree in architecture in 1923, he moved to Philadelphia in June 1923 to work as an assistant in the office John T. Windrim, a leading architect in that city. He later returned to Montreal in July 1924 and took a post in the architectural department of the Bell Telephone Co., working under W.H. Carmichael.
He formed a partnership with A. Leslie Perry in 1927 (see list of works under Perry & Luke) and their new firm prospered with a variety of residential, commercial, ecclesiastical, industrial and institutional projects, but they also developed a specialty in the design of contemporary public movie theatres. Many of their best designs for cinemas cannot be found in Quebec, but instead are located in Newfoundland and in Nova Scotia. In 1938 they were joined by Harold B. Little, but Perry left in 1943 to work under his own name, and Luke continued to practise with H.B. Little until June 1946 when they invited Thomas H. Mace to join the partnership. Their collaboration was brief and after Mace left in late 1949, the firm name reverted to Luke & Little and remained active until 1964 when Luke resigned from the P.Q.A.A. from his residence in Fallbrook, California. He later died in Montreal on 28 March 1967 (death notice Gazette [Montreal], 30 March 1967, 39; inf. Province of Quebec Association of Architects).
LUKE & LITTLE (works in Montreal unless noted)
SHAWBRIDGE, QUE., a school for the Boy’s Farm & Training School, 1943 (C.R., lvi, 18 Aug. 1943, 33)
ST. JOHN’S, NFLD., Paramount Movie Theatre, Harvey Road, 1944 (Evening Telegram [St. John’s], 2 Sept. 1944, 3 & 6, descrip)
MOUNT ROYAL, QUE., Seven-Up Montreal Ltd., Fleet Street, major addition to bottling plant, 1944; major addition, 1946 (C.R., lvii, 6 Sept. 1944, 23; and lix, Feb. 1946, 113; Architecture Batiment Construction [Montreal], iii, Jan. 1948, 32, illus.; R.A.I.C. Journal, xxv, Nov. 1948, 423, illus., and p. 18, illus. in advert.)
MOUNT ROYAL, QUE., Canada Dry Ginger Ale Ltd., Decarie Boulevard at Namur Avenue, rebuilding of bottling plant, 1944 (C.R., lvii, 5 July 1944, 23)
CHOISY, QUE., Camp Ewing, a Naval Cadet Training Camp at Riley's Point, on the south shore of Lake of Two Mountains, 1944-45 (Gazette [Montreal], 21 Nov. 1944, 9, descrip.)
BUCKINGHAM, QUE., public school for the Protestant School Board, 1944-45 (C.R., lvii, 27 Dec. 1944, 68; and lix, May 1946, 120)
HALIFAX, N.S., D’Alliards Store, Barrington Street at Sackville Street, 1945 (dwgs. at PANS, Halifax)
MONTREAL, QUE., Chesebrough Mfr. Co., Chabot Avenue, major addition to factory, 1945 (C.R., lviii, May 1945, 195)
MONTREAL, QUE., Electrolux Ltd., Basin Street, major addition to factory, 1945 (Gazette [Montreal], 21 Aug. 1945, 9, descrip.)
VILLE LASALLE, QUE., Mallinckrodt Chemical Co., St. Paul Street West, major addition to factory, 1946; office building, 1947 (C.R., lix, Feb. 1946, 112; and lx, May 1947, 126)
MONTREAL, QUE., Joseph Robb & Co., Namur Street, large factory, 1946 (C.R., lix, March 1946, 133)
HAMPSTEAD, QUE., residence for E. Littler, 1946 (C.H.G., xxiii, Aug. 1946, 23, illus.)
HALIFAX, N.S., The Oxford Movie Theatre, Quinpool Road at Oxford Street, for M.E. Walker, 1946 (dwgs. at PANS, Halifax)
HALIFAX, N.S., Hyland Movie Theatre, with bank and offices adjacent, Quinpool Road, near Chebucto Road, 1946 (City of Halifax b.p. 31406, 23 April 1946)
LUKE, LITTLE & MACE (works in Montreal unless noted)
COWANSVILLE, QUE., major addition to High School, South Street, 1946 (C.R., lix, June 1946, 142)
WESTMOUNT, QUE., Bailey Meter Co., Claremont Avenue, factory, 1946; with major addition, 1950 (C.R., lix, Sept. 1946, 145; R.A.I.C. Journal, xxv, April 1948, 125, illus.; Financial Post [Toronto], 19 Aug. 1950, 14 )
MONTREAL, QUE., A.J. Alexander Furs Co., Sherbrooke Street West, retail store, 1946-47 (C.R., lix, Nov. 1946, 102)
MONTREAL, QUE., movie theatre for General Theatres Co., St. Denis Street at Rachel Street, 1946-47 (C.R., lix, Dec. 1946, 74)
WESTMOUNT, QUE., The Avenue Theatre, Greene Avenue, near Ste. Catherine Street West, for William Lester, 1946-47 (C.R., lix, April 1946, 146; Montreal Daily Star, 28 May 1947, 12, descrip.; Gazette [Montreal], 28 May 1947, 6, descrip.; Architecture Batiment Construction, ii, Nov. 1947, 24-27, illus.; R.A.I.C. Journal, xxv, April 1948, 120-21, illus. & descrip.)
MONTREAL, QUE., Royal Bank of Canada, Cote des Neiges Street at Van Horne Avenue, 1946 (dwgs. at Royal Bank Archives, Montreal)
MONTREAL, QUE., W.H. Donner Building for Medical Research, McGill University, on Earlton Road, 1947 (C.R., lx, May 1947, 122; Gazette [Montreal], 27 Sept. 1947, 3, illus. & descrip.)
HALIFAX, N.S., Vogue Movie Theatre, Gottingen Street, for Franklin & Herschorn, 1947 (dwgs. at PANS, Halifax)
TORONTO, ONT., D’Allaird’s Store, Yonge Street near Louisa Street, 1947-48; demol. c. 1976 (dwgs at OA, Horwood Coll., Item 624b)
MONTREAL, QUE., Van Horne Movie Theatre, Cote des Neiges Road at Van Horne Avenue, 1947 (C.R., lx, Feb. 1947, 146; Gazette [Montreal], 15 Jan. 1948, 6, descrip.)
MONTREAL, QUE., Solex Co. Ltd., Mile End, major addition for factory and offices, 1948 (C.R., lxi, Feb. 1948, 168)
WESTMOUNT, QUE., Steinberg’s Groceteria Ltd., Greene Avenue, large retail store, 1948 (C.R., lxi, March 1948, 174)
MONTREAL, QUE., Rosemount Boy’s Club, a new club house, facing the Drummond School playground, between Lafond Avenue and 14th Avenue, 1948 (Gazette [Montreal], 27 May 1948, 9, illus. & descrip.; C.R., lxi, June 1948, 164)
OUTREMONT, QUE., MacVicar Memorial Presbyterian Church, St. Viateur Avenue at Hutchison Street, 1948-49 (C.R., lxi, Nov. 1948, 140; Outremont b.p. 4414, 10 Nov. 1948)
ST. JOHN’S, NFLD., Cornwall Movie Theatre, Le Marchant Road, near Grace Hospital, 1948 (Evening Telegram [St. John’s], 8 Oct. 1948, 1 and 3, illus. & descrip.)
MONTREAL, QUE., D’Allaird’s Ltd., a large garment factory, 1948-49 (C.R., lxi, Dec. 1948, 111)
TORONTO, ONT., Orange Crush Ltd., O’Connor Drive at Northline Road, a large bottling plant, 1949 (C.R., lxii, May 1949, 170)
MONTREAL, QUE., Royal Stewart Beverage Co., Decarie Boulevard, bottling plant and laboratory, 1949 (C.R., lxii, May 1949, 170)
MOUNT ROYAL, QUE., Municipal Office [Town Hall] and Fire Station, Roosevelt Avenue, 1949-50 (C.R., lxii, Dec. 1949, 88; and lxiii, Sept. 1950, 128; Gazette [Montreal], 10 July 1950, 8, t.c.)
LUKE & LITTLE (works in Montreal unless noted)
MONTREAL, QUE., Walter M. Lowney Candy Co., St. Paul Street at Inspector Street, a new 6 storey factory, 1950 (Financial Post [Toronto], 15 April 1950, 9, descrip.; C.R., lxiii, May 1950, 150)
VILLE LASALLE, Mont Royal Metal Co., offices and factory, 1950 (C.R., lxiii, June 1950, 129)
MONTREAL, QUE., LaSalle Hotel, Drummond Street, major addition, 1950-51 (C.R., lxiii, June 1950, 129; Gazette [Montreal], 29 Sept. 1951, 13-14, illus. & descrip.)
MONTREAL, QUE., Canadian Oil Co. Ltd., Notre Dame Street East, new plant for the production of lubricating oil and grease, 1950 (C.R., lxiii, June 1950, 130; and Sept. 1950, 134)
ST. BRUNO, QUE., a large Reform School for Girls, 1949-50 (Gazette [Montreal], 25 Nov. 1949, 15, descrip.; C.R., lxiii, July 1950, 122)
MONTREAL, QUE., University Settlement & Health Centre, St. Urbain Street, a new social services building, 1950 (C.R., lxiii, Aug. 1950, 240)
OUTREMONT, Steinberg’s Groceteria, Van Horne Avenue, 1950 (Outremont b.p. 4768, 15 Aug. 1950)
MONTREAL, QUE., National Motors Ltd., Decarie Boulevard at Plamondon Street, auto showroom and offices, 1950-51 (C.R., lxiii, Nov. 1950, 123)
MOUNT ROYAL, QUE., Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Cote de Liesse Road, large warehouse and offices, 1950-51 (C.R., lxiii, Nov. 1950, 123)
OUTREMONT, Barber Ellis Ltd., Durocher Avenue, office and factory, 1950-51 (Outremont b.p. 6465, 22 Dec. 1950)