Marjorie Pierce was born in
Malden, Massachusetts. She received both her bachelor's degree (1922) and master's degree (1923) in architecture from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In her final undergraduate year, she won the Special Prize for Water Colors. She went on to study art and architecture abroad on a fellowship from the Boston Society of Architecture. In a career spanning nearly 70 years, Pierce worked mainly in Massachusetts, designing hundreds of residences and commercial buildings out of an office in
Weston. She donated 80 rolls of her architectural drawings to the
MIT Museum. Pierce strongly supported architectural education at her alma mater, serving as president of the MIT Women's Association (1940–44) and endowing the
Ellen Swallow Richards Professorship and the
William Emerson Fellowship for graduate students. When she died in late 1999, she was MIT's oldest living alumna. An MIT student residence was named the Marjorie Pierce House in her honor. ==Selected buildings==