The Association for Women in Architecture + Design is a nonprofit professional association based in Los Angeles, California. The organization aims to support women working in the fields of architecture and design through educational programming, networking, and mentoring.[1] The history the association dates back to a Alpha Alpha Gamma, a collegiate organization established at Washington University in St. Louis.[2]
| Association for Women in Architecture + Design | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1915 Washington University in St. Louis |
| Type | Professional |
| Affiliation | Independent |
| Status | Active |
| Emphasis | Architecture |
| Scope | National |
| Formerly | Alpha Alpha Gamma |
| Headquarters | 2807 Oregon Court, Unit F 6/7 Torrance, California 90503 United States |
| Website | www |
History
editAlpha Alpha Gamma
editIn 1915 four female architect students from Washington University in St. Louis were rejected from the male architectural fraternity. These women, Helen Milius, Henrietta May Steinmesch, Jane Pelton, and Angela Burdeau created an architectural sorority called La Confrerie Alongine.[3] La Confrerie Alongine later became Alpha Alpha Gamma. The four found started other chapters of Alpha Alpha Gamma. On January 28, 1922, Alpha Alpha Gamma became an official national sorority supporting female architectural students.[3]
Association of Women in Architecture
editIn 1934, practicing women architects formed the Association of Women in Architecture. One of its founders was Dimity Reed. Alpha Alpha Gamma became its affiliate organization for architectural students.[2] In 1948, the association became the Association for Women in Architecture and Allied Arts. This name change helped support women in the fields of architecture, interior design, and engineering and artists of various principles. [4]
By 1950, there were around twenty professional and student chapters across the United States. The association published a newsletter called Keystone and held a national annual convention. Because of the pressure, the organization precipitated to a re-organization, leading the national organization to dissolve in 1964. Though both student and professional chapters continued to operate as location organizations in universities and cities across the United States.[3]
Association for Women in Architecture + Design
editThe Los Angeles chapter soon became the sole survivor of AWA, calling itself AWA-LA. In 1975, AWA-LA expanded its membership to include others interested in supporting women. This expansion in membership included men, thus the "of women" portion of the name was changed to "for women" to represent the introduction of men into the organization with the ideal to support women in the profession.[3]
In 2012, AWA-LA changed its name to the Association for Women in Architecture + Design to support architects, contractors, interior designers, engineers, urban planners, designers, and artists in similar fields and students of these fields.[5] The Association for Women in Architecture + Design is a not-for-profit organization.[6]
The organization's archives are held at the University Libraries at Virginia Tech in the International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA).[7]
Chapters
editAlpha Alpha Gamma chapters
editThe collegiate chapters of Alpha Alpha Gamma included:
| Chapter | Charter date | Institution | Location | Statues | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha | 1922 | Washington University in St. Louis | St. Louis, Missouri | Inactive | [8] |
| Beta | 1922 | University of Minnesota | Minneapolis, Minnisota | Inactive | [8] |
| Gamma | 1922 | University of Texas | Austin, Texas | Inactive | [8] |
| Delta | 1922 | University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley, California | Inactive | [8] |
| Epsilon | 1925 | University of Illinois | Champaign, Illinois | Inactive | [8] |
| Zeta | 1928 | University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, Michigan | Inactive | [8] |
| Eta | 1935 | Cornell University | Ithaca, New York | Inactive | [8] |
| Theta | 1950 | Kansas State University | Manhattan, Kansas | Inactive | [8] |
| Iota | 1956 | Auburn University | Auburn, Alabama | Inactive | [8] |
| Kappa | 1957 | University of California, Los Angeles | Los Angeles, California | Inactive | [8] |
| Lambda | 1966 | University of Kansas | Lawrence, Kansas | Inactive | [8] |
Notable members
edit- Georgia Louise Harris Brown, architect[9]
- Jeanine Centuori, architect
- Rose Connor, architect
- Wanda Dalla Costa, architect and professor
- Katherine Diamond, architect[10]
- Elsa Leviseur, landscape architect
- Eleanor Pepper, interior designer
- Dimity Reed, architect and academic
- Norma Sklarek, architect [3]
- Henrietta May Steinmesch, architect and association co-founder
- Virginia Tanzmann, architect
- Silja Tillner, architect
- Liane Zimbler, architect
References
edit- ^ "About Us". awaplusd.org. Archived from the original on 2016-10-23. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
- ^ a b "IAWA Biographical Database". iawadb.lib.vt.edu. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
- ^ a b c d e "Our History". Association for Women in Architecture. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
- ^ "Our Mission". AWA+D 100. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
- ^ "Who We Are". Association for Women in Architecture. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
- ^ Jones, Kennedy. "Research Guides: Women in Architecture and Design: Organizations". researchguides.njit.edu. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
- ^ Association for Women in Architecture Records, 1928-1992
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities. Baird's Manual Foundation, Incorporated. 1991. pp. V–65–66.
- ^ ""Only Woman at Engineering Firm"". Ebony. 1950. Archived from the original on 2018-01-02. Retrieved 2022-10-22 – via bwaf.org.
- ^ "IAWA Biographical Database". iawadb.lib.vt.edu. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
