Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/357002
style, a blend of Spanish, Mexican and American architecture—a design that continues to define Carmel more than a century later. He recruited a small army of crack carpenters, plumbers, stonemasons, electricians, painters and other tradespeople to bring them to life. The fledgling firm intended for these buildings to last, and they have. More than a century later, nearly all the commercial buildings and many houses Murphy built remain extant. "During the boom times of the 1920s and '30s, my grandfather employed 105 people," Gladney says. From the beginning, Murphy was committed to quality in workmanship and materials. An early-20th century promotional tome published by M.J. Murphy Inc. tidily sums up the founder's business ethos: "A builder must consistently comply with the spirit as well as the letter of his contracts. He must build correctly and have business ability and handle every transaction with fairness and with honor, and his word as good as his bond." Only the best would do for a Murphy build- ing: old growth redwood, Carmel Beach sand for cement and of course, Monterey County's sub- lime Carmel stone for chimneys and facades. To supply these and other supplies, Murphy main- tained a blacksmith shop, sited at 9th and Monte Verde and a lumberyard on property now occu- pied by the Carmel Plaza shopping center. According to Gladney, his uncle Frank was the only one of Murphy's children to remain in Carmel, eventually running the lumber business for his father. In 1947, Frank Murphy relocated the business to what had been a drying yard for the raw lumber that was shipped in from nor thern forests. Today M.J. Murphy Lumber and Hardware at 10 East Carmel Valley Road is the only hardware store in the heart of Carmel Valley. "We stock everything needed to build or maintain a home," Gladney boasts. The business keeps 12 people employed full time. Building (Left) Newlyweds Michael and Edna Murphy in 1904. (Below) The First Murphy House, built for his mother and sister, has been restored and now houses the Carmel Heritage Society at Lincoln and 5th Streets. 216 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R / F A L L 2 0 1 4