Marcus Evelyn Collins (1861-1944) was one of the nine sons and two daughters of London architect and City of London District Surveyor Hyman Henry Collins (1833-1905). Noted buildings by H. H. Collins included a number of synagogues, such as the St John's Wood United Synagogue, the Chatham Memorial Synagogue, and the Park Row Synagogue, Bristol. H. H. Collins was also a staunch advocate of domestic sanitation for all classes of housing - "He was instrumental in the framing of the first London Building Act and was one of the pioneers of improvements in sanitation of towns."