Louise Caldwell Murdock
Louise's father, J.E. Caldwell brought his family to Wichita from New York in 1871 and opened a Queens Ware (a hard, cream-colored earthenware, perfected c1765 by Wedgwood) store on North Main Street. She married Roland Pierpont Murdock in 1877 and founded the Twentieth Century Club with him in 1899 in Wichita. She served as its president until 1906.
Louise Caldwell Murdock
- Name
- Louise Caldwell Murdock
- Born
- 1857
- Birthplace
- Caneada, New York
- Died
- 1915
- Place of death
- Wichita, Kansas
- Education
- Studied with Frank Alvah Parsons, founder of the Parsons School of Fine and Applied Art Interior Architecture (1906)
- Nationality
- United States.
- Occupation
- architect and interior designer.
- Known for
- Wichita City Carnegie Library Building.
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Documentary summary
Louise's father, J.E. Caldwell brought his family to Wichita from New York in 1871 and opened a Queens Ware (a hard, cream-colored earthenware, perfected c1765 by Wedgwood) store on North Main Street. She married Roland Pierpont Murdock in 1877 and founded the Twentieth Century Club with him in 1899 in Wichita. She served as its president until 1906.
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wikidata · Q19974980 · wikipedia · Louise Caldwell Murdock
In this article
Biography
Biography
After her husband's death in 1906, she studied interior design with Frank Alvah Parsons in New York City, then returned to Wichita Kansas and designed and built the Caldwell Murdock building on East Douglas, which at seven floors became Wichita's tallest building. Dedicated to making her dream of having an art museum in her hometown, a reality, Louise Murdock generously donated her family fortune to acquire a "significant collection" of American art; mention in her will, written in 1995). She entrusted the task of assembling the art collection to her trusty friend and professional colleague Elizabeth Stubblefield Navas. Together, the two visionaries made history in Wichita and surrounding region that stands firmly till date. The Wichita Art Museum opened in 1935 and it houses the infamous collection of Ronald P. Murdock which is considered as one of the premier collections of American art.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Louise Caldwell Murdock • Born — 1857 • Birthplace — Caneada, New York • Died — 1915 • Place of death — Wichita, Kansas • Education — Studied with Frank Alvah Parsons, founder of the Parsons School of Fine and Applied Art Interior Architecture (1906) • Significant Buildings — Wichita Public Library, Caldwell-Murdock Building, Murdock Theater • Significant Projects — 20th Century Club of Wichita
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1857
Louise Caldwell Murdock born.
1915
Louise Caldwell Murdock died at Wichita.
Places
Named by the record
Places
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Louise Caldwell Murdock died in Wichita.
Deathplace
Wichita.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q19974980: Louise Caldwell Murdock
General reference · Wikidata
reference work
- “Louise Caldwell Murdock”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
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Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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