Cody, Jeffrey W., Building in China: Henry K. Murphy's "Adaptive Architecture," 1914-1935, (2001)

Title : Building in China: Henry K. Murphy's "Adaptive Architecture," 1914-1935,

Author(s) : Cody, Jeffrey W.

Year : 2001

Type : Book

Subject : History

Keywords : city;urban;architecture

Place of publication : Seattle,

Publisher : University of Washington Press,

Language:Name : English

Support : Print

Abstract : Original dissertation: This dissertation argues that Henry Murphy, virtually an unknown American architect, was a figure whose activities in republican China from 1914 until 1935 distinguish him from his peers. Instead of transplanting American foreign styles and methods, Murphy adapted traditional Chinese architectural forms to modern needs. This approach was consistent with the ideals of many of the missionary administrators who first hired Murphy, it coincided with the vision of many Nationalist politicians and it also endeared him to many Chinese architects, who were being trained at foreign universities and then returning home to practice. Murphy hoped that Chinese architects would seek solutions from within their own traditions rather than mimic those from abroad. This study utilizes Murphy's papers and contemporary sources to gauge Murphy's impact. Through his sensitivity to Chinese traditions, Murphy bridged a cultural gap. Hired in 1913 by Yale University's Foreign Missionary Society to design the new Yale-in-China campus, Murphy became enamored of China. He argued that Asian architectural heritage should be preserved and he sensed he had found fertile territory for his New York-based practice. Murphy organized an 'Oriental Department' of his firm and garnered new clients. As he fused modern building technology with traditional design, Murphy faced little competition, because almost none of his foreign counterparts demonstrated any interest in responding architecturally to Chinese culture. In 1918 Murphy opened a branch office in Shanghai to coordinate his work and at first his multinational practice thrived, but staffing, financial and supervisory problems halted his advance. Murphy's situation was axiomatic, because his reputation as an architect grew during the 1920s whole his practice in America and China shrank. He survived largely on the continuing work at Ginling Girls' College in Nanjing and at Yenching University (today's Beijing University). In 1927 Murphy was courted by Guomingdang politicians, who hired him as their chief architectural advisor to help plan the new capital at Nanjing. The issue of architectural adaptation is still widely debated in China, demonstrating one measure of Murphy's success. This dissertation paves the way for further studies of Chinese architectural realities, suggesting that largely ignored architectural sources can help explain cultural trends in republican China.