The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-05-23
MORE WOMEN ARCHITECTS
FEW, HOWEVER, WHO HAVE
THEIR OWN OFFICES.

FEW, HOWEVER, WHO HAVE
THEIR OWN OFFICES.
Only Three In This city. but They Are
Dosag weil-some Of the Jobs Thsy
Have Taoiled-Men Architects En-.
pioy Many In Special Lines Of Work.
There are three womsn architects In
business for themselves in Manhattan.
Compared with the four or FIVE hundred
men architects this statement at hrst
thought may moi seem impressive. now
ever. to persons who know something OF
the history Of woman's work In arohitec-
ture 1t IL impressive enough.
The three women referred to are CON-
Quoting a hourishins business far past the
experimental stage. Each 10 here to stay.
Each occupies offices in . high class ONCE
building In q ~populous business quarter
and employs draughtsmen. a typewriter
and an ofioe boy to head on unprontaoie
callers II Ii never easy to lind any OF
the three at her Office, certain contracts
often taking each a good many miles
from Manhattan, and when n Ia found
she seems to have neither time nor in
clination to talk personalities.
A few years ago women architects were
not taken seriously and with few e1eep-
tions the young women who studied
architecture looked for work In the ofices
OF men sfohiteots. The very few who
from time to time started in business FOR
themselves soon gave 1t up.
Half q dozen years ago even, women
>.zLsk~~k v~.ln n rn,tOh vN0rAr QhnWl
than now, for at that time n OF the
three referred to was just getting ready
to start out for herself after three years
work in the office Of a well known New
York architect and the two others had
scarcely brought their business past the
experimental stage. So far as known hah
a dozen years ago there was not . large
building in Manhattan the work OF a
/ woman architect. For many years New
York men in general showed no inclina-
ton at all to entrust women with tho
spending of large sums OF money for them
In buildings.
There is a good deal Of prejudice along
the same line now, but that the prejudice
Is beginning to die is proved by the six
story building in Park place running
through to Murray street and which when
completed will be occupied by the Annerf-
can News Company, and the huge build
ing in East Sixteenth street running
through to Fifteenth street, the plant OF
the American Pastry and Manufacturing
Company, the architect Of each Of these
buildings being e woman
Part Of the Park place structure. which
was an old building. has been rebuilt from
the foundation, the remainder being re-
modelled to meet the needs OF the new
~tenants-a job, an unparalleled man
architect observed, twice as troublesome
a. putting up a new building.
Club houses and all sorts OF dwellings
in the suburbs Of New York and in neigh-
boring cities. also several buildings at
various State and international exhibit
tions, are set down to the credit Of the
three Manhattan women architects whose
orders nave increased steadily in the last
Ave years and who evidently are on the
way to make money. Already n Of
these young women has built for her
self a quaint little home nea enough to
New York u commute daily and set up
q chicken yard. q garden. . horse and
wagon and an automobile, and her ability
for getting on with oantankerous CON-
tractors and workmen 10 " marked a.
her ability as a designer a~ndcolorist.
Unlike some other women in the same
line OF work she has not found her rela-
tons with workmen sufficiently formida-
BILE to diahearten her.
.Workmen,- said she, are inclined, I
have found. to be perfectly fair to an
architect provided he or she shows good
common sense, tact and an inclination
to be fair to them.
AN architect needs a tremendous lot
Of tact. Without great tact and common
sense no woman ought to dream Of enter
ing the field Of architecture. 1 have
heard workmen swear at q man architect
to his face and deservedly because Of the
bungling way he managed a situation.
and the way they talked behind his back
was something awful.
Like every other architect there are
times when l find that things are not
turning out quite es ] expected, that
some bit OF work will have to be undone
or changed a little, and l am Obliged 10
tell the workmen This won't do; We must
try another way Well, you told us to
do thus and So they will fing back.
Yes. / did / admit at noe. but it's
not turning out the way I thought it
would. We shall have to try another
plan and there is no trouble at all.
so far as possible when l find good
workmen I try to employ them as often
as I can and to push them ahead. and
once workmen feel confidence in an archi-
tect they will do all they q to help him
or her along. l don't find that workmen
have any particular prejudice in favor
Of men architects. II 10 the construction
part Of tho work which tests q woman, OF
course. but there 10 no reason why she
should fail there, provided. a. l have al
ready said. that she has q large supply
Of tact and common sense. ability to
COPE quickly with q situation, $50 at q
glance what 10 needed. decide right away
what 10 best to be done
TO be a successful architect a woman
must be temperamentally fitted for the
work and she must make up her mind to
be on the Job constantly. As a rule /
think q woman does this more than q man.
] myself spend a good deal Of time every
day at any building Of which I am the
architect, with the result that very few
changes have to be made from start to
finish. Provided she has the right sort
Of temperament architecture Is a pro-
fession quite a. we'll suited to q woman
"a tha Law or nAdicine and avonf,olv