The Energetic Mary Sue Morris
 PVNN
| | Mary Sue Morris |
A recent article in the Cincinnati Enquirer tells how Viva Jewely Store owner, Mary Sue Morris, had a zest for life that made an impact on all of the communities she lived in - from Cincinnati, USA to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and Antigua, Guatemala.
Energetic Mary Morris Revived Precinct Area
Rebecca Goodman - Cincinnati Enquirer
People who appreciate the architecture of Samuel P. Hannaford should raise a glass to Mary Sue Morris the next time they enjoy a Steak Muñoz at The Precinct in Columbia Tusculum. She saved the Romanesque structure that houses the popular steakhouse from the wrecking ball in the 1970s.
Old Police Patrol Station No. 6, designed and built by Samuel P. Hannaford & Sons in 1901, was slated for demolition until she leased it from the city of Cincinnati. She opened Amanda, a restaurant and disco, in the building in 1978.
Jeff Ruby bought the property in 1981.
Ms. Morris, 67, died of cancer on Saturday, March 17, 2007 in Houston, Texas.
She was an energetic businesswoman who was always restless for a new project. So when she moved to Cincinnati from New York in 1971 after marrying Bill Morris, a real estate developer, she immediately began looking for interesting sites to rehabilitate.
She turned an old, vacant bank on Hyde Park Square into an arcade called Left Bank that housed 18 retail shops and boutiques.
"Mary Sue worked as hard as she played and missed no opportunity to try out a new activity or idea," said friend Marilyn Harris of Clifton.
A native Texan and graduate of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Ms. Morris got the idea to open a Mexican restaurant and a disco - it was 1978 after all - in the abandoned police station in Columbia Tusculum. It was a struggling neighborhood at the time, according to Elizabeth Stone, then chairwoman of the East End Task Force.
"When I have an idea I want to carry out, I can't settle for anything less," Ms. Morris told The Enquirer that year. "It infuriates me when someone says, 'You can't do it that way,' or 'It's never been done that way.' Who cares? If it's right it will work."
Amanda was a thriving night spot when Ruby bought the building in 1981.
"I really do credit Mary Sue Morris for anchoring" what has become a thriving neighborhood, Stone said. "I would say that her restaurant showed the way."
Ms. Morris went on to open Posada del Angel, a Spanish colonial inn in Antigua, Guatemala. She also owned and operated Viva, a jewelry and accessories store in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
"She could create an event out of the air and make it fun and exciting," said her friend Suzi Stone, of Santa Fe, N.M. "She had an unparalleled zest for life and no fears held her back."
Survivors include a stepdaughter, Robin Morris Horstmeyer of Madisonville; and three stepsons, Tracey Morris of Phoenix, Craig Morris of Fort Worth, Texas, and Rusty Morris of Cannon Beach, Ore.
A memorial service will be held later in Texas. |
Vallarta Weddings
Vallarta Living | April 2007 
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