William Marsh Michler was born in Easton where he attended school and graduated from Lafayette College in 1893 with a degree in civil engineering and technology and an advanced degree in 1895. After obtaining a degree in architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, he returned to Easton and set up an architecture business. One of his first commissions was the reconstruction of Pardee Hall at Lafayette following the second fire in 1897.

Many homes in the College Hill section of Easton were designed by Michler and have some of the distinctive elements of design he used, including the tile of Henry Chapman Mercer, founder of the Moravian Pottery Works in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. These handcrafted terracotta tiles used to decorate fireplaces and floors represented different themes of American history as well as flora and fauna.

The Superintendent’s house at the entrance to Easton Cemetery built in 1900 is an example of his design. Another very impressive structure is the Zeta Psi fraternity at Lafayette College which overlooks College Avenue. Michler was active in his business until about 1943 when he retired due to poor health.