Now entering its seventeenth year of practice, New York-based John B. Murray Architect continues to draw upon the rich and enduring legacy of the classical tradition to create contemporary residences, in many styles, that speak to the needs, expectations and desires of contemporary life. The firm’s embrace of hand-drawn plans and details, thoughtfully executed with care and consideration, reflects our commitment to the very highest level of quality in every aspect of our projects: whether creating a country estate, a simple vernacular farmhouse, or a classical urban residence, our understanding that no element is too insignificant to be thoroughly considered, and well and properly crafted, remains consistent.

Our quest for quality is founded in collaboration. In the belief that a great residence can only come from a strong architect/client relationship, we take care to listen, learn, and ensure that we have the faith and trust of those with whom we work. As a result, the design process becomes a pleasurable exploration, and the outcome fully realizes our clients’ wishes and our aspirations as architects. Though in certain respects the practice resembles that of a traditional atelier, John B. Murray Architect remains utterly contemporary in our collaborations with interior designers and landscape architects; use of innovative energy-efficient and green building concepts; and incorporation of leading-edge technologies and modern conveniences. Engaging closely with clients and other disciplines, combining the values of the past with a fresh understanding of modernity, the firm’s success lies in achieving a timeless, lasting architectural presence.

The firm has continued to draw upon the diversity and talents of our 18-person studio to produce successful projects throughout the country. These include the President’s House at Yale University, a seaside estate in Sea Island, Georgia, a retreat in Maui, a Federal-style farmhouse in New York’s Columbia County; and the completion of numerous townhouse and apartment renovations in multiple cities. This continues to be a source of great creative satisfaction for the firm.

John B. Murray Architect has been the recipient of multiple awards and citations, and been featured in many publications, including Architectural Digest, Entra, Antiques & Fine Art, Connecticut Cottages & Gardens, Town & Country, Period Homes, New Old House, Period Homes, Traditional Building, Avenue, O at Home, and Beautiful Homes, as well as notable monographs, among them Phillip James Dodd’s The Art of Classical Details, Thomas Jayne's American Decoration, Jennifer Post’s Pure Space, architectural historian Mark Alan Hewitt’s The Vintage House, Cullman & Kravis’ The Detailed Interior and Decorating Master Class, Bunny Williams’ Point of View, New York Apartments, Learning from Palladio, and A Decade of Art and Architecture 1992-2002. In 2012, the firm received the first annual Stanford White Award for the renovation of a duplex apartment on Park Avenue. And in 2009, the prestigious Palladio Award was given for our work on an estate in Greenwich, CT.

In September 2013, the firm announced the publication of its first monograph Classical Invention which features fifteen extraordinary country and city residences with exquisite photography and hand-drawn plans and analytiques that show how classical design can be open to endless transformation and renewal.