Photo of Morgan O'Hara

Morgan O'Hara

Senior Designer
New York, NY, USA

Morgan O’Hara is a cultural historian of the built environment. She has worked at MASS Design Group since 2018, where she supports the Public Memory and Memorials Lab through research, engagement, and interpretation. Her backgrounds in cultural anthropology, public history, and collaborative design have informed her approach to socio-spatial research to develop human-centered histories of built spaces and infrastructure. For the Fringe Cities project, Morgan conducted longitudinal analyses of small cities in the United States that participated in mid-century urban renewal, and while at the Hudson Valley Office, she was embedded in the public engagement work necessary to craft meaningful community design solutions in Poughkeepsie. Her passion lies in elevating creative and community-driven expressions of lesser-known histories in public space. Morgan studied anthropology at Reed College, graduated from Columbia with a Masters in Historic Preservation, and intermittently co-teaches Studio II in Historic Preservation at Columbia GSAPP.