The AIA Finally Gave A Medal To A Female Architect. She Died In 1957.

How is this possible? The American Institute of Architects, the largest and most influential architecture organization in the country, had never, ever awarded a Gold Medalits highest honor, which it has been bestowing upon architects since 1907to a woman. Until now.

I only really have one question here.

The woman in question is no doubt worthy: Julia Morgan was the first female architect licensed in California and had a long and influential career, designing over 700 buildings. She is best known as the designer of Hearst Castle, collaborating for 28 years with the mercurial William Randolph Hearst.

Hearst with Morgan at the site of La Cuesta Encantada, better known as Hearst Castle, in 1926, photo by Irvin Willat

But she also designed dozens of YWCAs in California, including the the Asilomar conference center near Monterey; many private homes; and the gorgeous (and currently vacant) Los Angeles Examiner Building in downtown L.A. She majored in civil engineering at Berkeley and was an early expert in reinforced concrete construction methods, which came in especially handy after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

The Oakland YWCA, designed by Morgan in 1915, photo by Sanfranman59

It was a female AIA board member, Julia Dohono, who nominated Morgan after realizing the Gold Medal had never gone to a woman. She nominated Morgan because she felt that the organization needed to go back and recognize Gold Medal-quality women who were "overlooked," she tells Karrie Jacobs in Architect.

Originally posted here:
The AIA Finally Gave A Medal To A Female Architect. She Died In 1957.