Abrams, Morris
Morris Abrams (1862-1945) was a clothing retailer who, in 1937, put up a new building for his store, still standing at the southwest corner of Pacific Avenue and Lincoln Street. Though no longer his store, the name "Morris Abrams" can still be seen on the exterior, incised into a beveled corner behind a projecting marquee. The lettering can be seen in the 1967 photo at right, taken during a Pacific Avenue parade. The angled corner was likely a design nod to the angled corner entrance of the previous building on that site, an 1878 commercial building owned by Duncan McPherson. Before Abrams bought the building in 1910, it was home to Meyrick's Real Estate Exchange.
- Santa Cruz County, Calif. Illustrations, with Historical Sketch (1879 book) includes a drawing of Meyrick's building (page 71), where the building name "Duncan Block" can be seen on the roof parapet above the corner entrance.
- John L. Chase, The Sidewalk Companion to Santa Cruz Architecture (4th ed. 2023), Chapter Five, item (21), page 144.
Abrams also built the still-extant and charming bungalow court called "Lincoln Court" from 1905-1920, along both sides of a driveway that extends from Lincoln Street to New Street, just west of Center Street.
- John L. Chase, The Sidewalk Companion to Santa Cruz Architecture (4th ed. 2023), Chapter Three, item (48), page 77.
