Our History

Young Morris Black
Morris Black circa 1908

Morris Black History 1908

In 1908, our founder, Morris Black, started a small business when he bought a wagon and a team of white horses to supply building products to local contractors. Little did he realize that this modest beginning would grow into a multi-faceted construction services company with two locations over a century later – and still managed by the third and fourth generations of his family, and a long line of Morris Black history.

1928

As his business grew, young Morris Black began offering more building materials, including pipe, brick, sand, cement and other masonry products; and eventually, he bought his first delivery truck. By 1928, he had warehouse locations in both Allentown and Bethlehem. The variety and quality of his products, and the dependability of his service, became Morris Black trademarks as his reputation grew.

When Morris was joined by his sons in the 1930s, the firm became Morris Black & Sons, Inc. In 1943, the company added an insulation subcontracting business, one of the first in the entire country.

1928 Truck
1928 Truck
1963 Morris, Ben, Sam
1963 Morris, Ben, Sam

1946

In 1946, a modern office and warehouse was built in Bethlehem, which facilitated innovative methods of material handling such as palletized storage, forklift trucks, and conveyors to move large quantities of sand and stone. In the 1950s and 1960s, new product lines were added including face brick, fireplace products, gypsum drywall, kitchen cabinets, and appliances. Delivery capabilities were greatly expanded with the introduction of boom trucks for delivery of bricks, palletized bagged goods and drywall.

Over the next 2 decades, the third generation of the Black family became associated with the company. The 1970s was a period of rapid change; the firm’s kitchen cabinet business grew into a separate department specializing in stock and custom cabinets for both builders and home owners. Custom design and installation services were added.

A Commercial Door and Hardware Department was established in 1975. This department, featuring hollow metal doors and contract hardware, became the cornerstone of the firm’s commercial sales effort; and soon included wood doors, washroom accessories, toilet partitions and other specialties.

1976

In 1976, Morris Black & Sons predicted the coming do-it-yourself trend by opening a free-standing home center to market building products directly to homeowners. The new facility featured the company’s first dedicated kitchen and bath showroom.

1977 Bob, Ben, Ron, Sam
1977 Bob, Ben, Ron, Sam
LV Kitchen Display from 1987
LV Kitchen Display from 1987

1987

In 1986, the company consolidated its operations in a new office building and warehouse complex in the Lehigh Valley Industrial Park, which included a 4,000 square foot kitchen and bath showroom. Today, that showroom includes over 25 fully-accessorized displays of kitchens, baths and other custom interiors, with a wide range of cabinet styles and finishes, countertop treatments and built-in appliances.

The Architectural Millwork Department was created in 1990 to supply the commercial and institutional markets with casework, cabinetry and millwork. By 2000, Morris Black was manufacturing its own custom casework in a state of the art on-site facility. This continues today as a rapidly growing part of the business.

1999

The firm launched its first satellite location in 1999 with the opening of its Pocono showroom on Rt. 611 in Bartonsville. This facility was strategically planned to give the firm a local presence in Monroe and Pike counties.

The kitchen department, now named Morris Black Designs, and its designers have won numerous national (NKBA) and local (LVBA) design prizes, and their kitchens were featured on HGTV’s “Kitchen Trends” and in national magazines including Kitchen and Bath News.

In 2005, Morris Black and Sons, Inc. was awarded the “Excellence in Business” award from the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce.

1999 Pocono Grand Open
1999 Pocono Grand Open
2007 Black Family
2007 Black Family

2008

In 2008, Morris Black celebrated it’s 100th Anniversary with events including a Kitchen Giveaway Contest, parties for both staff and customers, and a Kitchen Tour that raised thousands of dollars for Valley Youth House. Morris Black also created a cookbook of family and customers’ recipes that continues to raise funds for Valley Youth House today.

During 2009, the Insulation Department was renamed Home Energy Solutions to better reflect the expanded services including residential retrofit insulation and home energy audits, and to emphasize the company’s commitment to energy efficiency.

In 2010, the Door Department added Fire Door Inspections to its list of services when Jon Black became a certified Fire Door Assembly Inspector.

During 2013, Morris Black designed, built and donated the Kitchen Set to PBS Channel 39 in Bethlehem. The contemporary set was designed for filming the cable cooking show “The Chef’s Kitchen”, with areas for cooking, plating and tasting dishes – and on casters so it can be rolled away when not in use. This kitchen is now also used for the “Cooking for Baby & Me” shows produced for the St.Lukes University Health Network.

Over the next decade, the firm established itself as a major manufacturer and supplier of commercial casework and architectural millwork in the eastern PA market, increasing its footprint to over 10,000 sq. ft. in it’s state-of-the-art facility.  With expanded capacity and increased capabilities, the company has provided high end custom kitchens and baths for several prestigious luxury high rise buildings in Center City Philadelphia, as well as custom casework for many of the new health care facilities in the Lehigh Valley and throughout eastern PA.

2015

Morris Black also created the working kitchen at the Easton Public Market – expanding the Morris Black history and has been it’s principal sponsor since the opening of the market in April 2015. The mission of the Easton Public Market Morris Black Kitchen is to educate people and families how to cook sustainable and whole food meals, and show them the fun of cooking.

In 2017, Morris Black Designs completed another update to its highly regarded kitchen and bath showroom, with several new fully accessorized displays and a new customer-friendly interactive selection center.

On its 110th anniversary in 2018, Morris Black & Sons, Inc. was honored by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce at its annual meeting for its longevity.  The firm is the longest serving and only original charter member of the Chamber.

In 2019, the company re-focused its Door Division, discontinuing the sale and distribution of commercial doors and hardware and changing its emphasis to Division 10 Specialty Products, including washroom accessories, toilet partitions, fire extinguishers, lockers, and more.

TODAY

The Morris Black history continues – in 2020, Jonathan Black was named General Manager, as the 4th generation of the family business prepares to assume leadership of the company.

Notwithstanding the crippling effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Morris Black & Sons is well positioned for the future. The “family” of Morris Black eagerly anticipates the firm’s next milestone… its 115th anniversary!

 

Check out our Houzz to see our various designs over the years!

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS