ARCHITECT

Arguably the most published contemporary architect in Florida, William N. Morgan, FAIA, was born in Jacksonville in 1930, educated at Harvard's Graduate School of Design under Walter Gropius and Jose Luis Sert and trained in the Cambridge office of Paul Rudolph. Mr. Morgan was appointed a Lehman Fellow of Harvard University and studied as a Fulbright grantee in Italy, 1958 - 1959. Subsequently he received a Wheelwright Fellowship of the Graduate School of Design and a Graham Foundation Grantee for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts for research. Mr. Morgan is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a past chairman of the AIA Committee on Design.

In 1961, Mr. Morgan established his architectural practice in Jacksonville, Florida. Well known for excellence in architectural design, his works range from modest residences to such major projects as the Florida State Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan; the U.S. Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Westinghouse World Headquarters in Orlando, Pyramid Condominium in Ocean City, Maryland; Bloomingdale's store in Miami and Neiman Marcus in Ft. Lauderdale. Often published in the United States and abroad, numerous design awards have recognized his work.

Over the years, Mr. Morgan has lectured and served as a visiting critic at such architectural schools as Harvard, Tulane, North Carolina State University, and the University of Florida. Appointed Gibbons Eminent Scholar in Architecture and Urban Planning in 1990, he also has served as the Beinecke-Reeves Distinguished Chair in Architectural Preservation at the University of Florida. In 1998 the American Institute of Architects conferred an Institute Honor on Mr. Morgan in recognition of his lifelong research into the beginnings of architectural creativity.

His body of work featured a respect to common materials, used imaginatively, budgeting restraints, plan efficiency, visual delight and prescient environmental sensitivity. His projects are characterized, at once, as bold, innovative and highly creative.

Morgan's ideas in architecture are based on his instincts, his experience and with the view of making meaningful additions to history rather than merely repeating the past. However, he has been exceptionally interested in the beginnings of architecture and the origins of creativity. A lifelong interest in archaic forms of architecture drove Morgan to achieve a scholarly career as an architecture archaeologist simultaneous to operating a large architectural practice in Florida. His published five studies of ancient architecture in eastern North America, the US Southwest and Micronesia examine basic principles of environmental adaptation, many of which are reflected in Morgan's work. Morgan's work also merges orthodox modernism with design principles and motifs more reminiscent of pre-Columbian architecture in North America and Mexico.

Morgan's intellectual curiosity brought modernism to another, timeless level, reflecting thousands of years of human history, while also foreshadowing architectural trends that only became prominent in the 21st century. His work continues to command widespread international attention, especially his experiments in "green architecture," such as with the "Dunehouses" in Atlantic Beach, Florida. William Morgan practiced "green" architecture for decades before "green" buildings became "cool".

INTERIOR DESIGN

Rebecca Davisson received her Bachelor of Interior Design Degree from the College of Architecture, Auburn University in 1991. After practicing in Nashville, Davisson relocated to Jacksonville, Florida in 1997.

Ms. Davisson specializes in corporate design, and has completed offices for Meridian Technologies, Husk Jennings, Vestcor Equities, and Dana B. Kenyon. She also has experience in higher education, government, retail, hospitality, healthcare, multi-family and single-family residential. She has completed projects not only in Florida, but also in Louisiana, Texas, Chicago, Alabama, and the Bahamas. She has won local, state and national design awards for her corporate work, as well as awards for her courthouses, banks, galleries, restaurants and residences. She has been recognized by IIDA, ASID and AIA both in Florida and Tennessee. Ms. Davisson has been published in national and regional magazines, including Florida Architecture, Water's Edge, Florida International Style, Florida Caribbean Architect, and Arbus. Ms. Davisson was featured in the Florida Time Union and recently in the Jacksonville Business Journal when named in its "Top 40 under 40."

Davisson served as the President of the Florida Chapter of the International Interior Design Association in 2003-2004. She also held positions a Vice President of Membership and served on many local committees. While serving on the Board of IIDA, Ms. Davisson has the chance to speak nationally to other IIDA chapters regarding the finance of the volunteer organization. She also served on several student juries at the University of Florida and is a frequent portfolio reviewer at IIDA Student Day. Ms. Davisson's volunteer activities on a local level include work with Junior Achievement, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, the Yates YMCA Facilities and Grounds Committee, and the Cummer Museum of Art & Garden's Very Special Arts fest.

Ms. Davisson is the proud mother of three children. She has volunteered with the PTA at Hendricks Avenue Elementary School, and served as team mom for several baseball teams at Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church and soccer teams at Jacksonville Youth Soccer Association.

Rebecca Davisson, IIDA, ASID Design Mind, LLC
1814 Hendricks Ave.
Jacksonville, FL 32207
904.854.2402

www.designmindllc.com