The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-08-31
Architecture for Women.
New York Tribune.

new 1OTk ITlDune.
One OF the first women in this country 10
adopt the profession was Mrs. Louise B.
Bethune, of Buffalo, who has been p~ractic-
ing since 1881, and is the only woman yet
admitted to membership in the American
Institute of Architects.
Miss Sophia Hayden, whose winning of
the prize for the plan Of the woman's build
ing at the Chicago worlds fair brought
her into general notice, had taken the four
years course in architecture at the Massa-
chusetts Institute of Technology and was
graduated in 1893. Unfortunately, u long
illness soon after her entrance upon her
profession compelled her to relinquish it.
When she recovered she married, becoming
Mrs. w: d. Bennett, and did not resume
her WORK.
Miss Lois L. Howe. of Boston. the winner
or the second prize of $500 in the same
competition, is now a successful architect
In that city, her specially being country
houses.
A young woman now studying says that
she adopted the profession at the chance
suggestion of a friend whose father was
going to give her a home as a wedding
My friend told me of her experience
she explains, and that gave me the idea.
When the architect brought the plans for
her inspection she thought they were love-
~, but asked, Where are the closets?' He
pointed them out, and she said, They Will
not do at all. L want a hall and closets
Oh5 dh0 oht dAA0 sOO may 0AOP n
ing room out IL you must
'Then she went over the plans with him
In detail. Two feet were taken from the
lining room TO be added TO the buffers
pantry. Two feet each We're taken from
the drawing room, which was on one side
of the hall, and from the sitting room. on
On each side OF the fireplace q narrow
closet was inserted, which was not dis
tinguishable from the remainder of the
old oak waincoting that finished the hall,
yet was useful for a variety of things.
upstairs two sleeping rooms were robbed
relentleSsly or unnecessary width to gain
space for a large linen closet. with a win
dow, narrow drawers and shelves suffi-
cient to accommodate all the household
large, square chute, through which all
soiled linen could be precipitated at once
to the laundry in the basement.
Several innovations were made in the
bathrooms. A brass rod was affixed to the
wall back of the tub and extending it's full
length. This was for towels, and is the
best arrangement possible. n cabinet was
built in over the basin for all toilet bottles,
and had a Trench plate mirror front. Its
shelves We're all of glass, SO it could not
collect germs of any sort.
1.-THE architect had assigned a room of
fair size to two servants and a small room
TO the third, all i'm the upper story, which
left a large apartment that, he suggested,
would be a good storeroom. My friend
did not agree with him, but asked why
the largest room could not be made into
two rooms, that each servant might have a
separate one. The next in size might be
divided into an ample storeroom and a
bathroom for the maids, she thought.
AL these alterations were made before
the plan was finally put into execution,
and the architect said to my friend: Real
ly, Miss s.. If you were a young man
would ask you to come into my office to
study architecture
She replied: If | were a young man i
should probably ave a mans idea of a
house, so could be of no use TO you. What
you want in your office is "A young woman
TO give you points about the little things
that men know nothing about in a practical
way And when my friend told me that, ="
concluded the student, Il made up my mind
that instead of being an artist. as / in
tended. and painting pictures that nobody
wanted. | would be an architect and build
lovely houses full of unimaginable COM
forts that everybody would sigh for"