Marion Sims Wyeth (1889-1982)
Biography
Marion Sims Wyeth (1889-1982) was born in New York City. He graduated from Princeton University in 1910 and proceeded to study at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1914. He then furthered his training by working for Bertram Goodhue and Carrère & Hastings. In 1919, Wyeth relocated to Palm Beach, while maintaining a New York office with Frederic Rhinelander King. They formed Wyeth & King in 1932, later renamed Wyeth, King & Johnson in 1944 when William Royster Johnson became a partner. He was commissioned to design over 700 projects in Palm Beach and beyond during his fifty-four-year practice. His notable commissions include the development of Golfview Road, including the Hogarcito and La Claridad estates, the Norton Museum of Art, and Shangri La, Doris Duke’s house in Honolulu, Hawaii. Wyeth explored many architectural styles that adhered to his belief of creating “quiet, subdued, and rational buildings.” He was the first Palm Beach architect to be inducted into the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 1954 and he received the Test of Time Award from its Palm Beach Chapter in 1981.
Collection
The collection was donated in 1993 by architect Sidney Neil, who worked with Johnson after Wyeth’s retirement in 1975. The collection includes 13,000 architectural drawings and over 900 photographs.
