The Washington times., 1914-03-10
GIRL ARCHITECTS
ORGANIZE A FIRM
Houses They Design Will Have
PIent yof Closets and Lots
of Comforts.

NEW YORK, March 10.-Enthusias-n
for the rights of women has led two
young feminists in New York to estab-
lish the first firm of its kind n exist
ence-s firm of women architects. Mss
Anna Pendleton Schenck and Miss
Marcia Mead, earnestly believing that
opportunity Is the least boon the women
ot t"day can ask, have taken a defint te
stcD forward in the movement and as
srt stCrd ly that. though ii s risk, they
intenu to succeed. and through their
success encourage other women to 20
and do likewise.
We have been IN business only a
week" they said as they sat in their
of fiCe and talked about the new venture
ana we already have two orders. 9th
er women architects. practicing 'nde-
ptndentiy. have done fairly well; we
are going to do very well. Of course.
We love the work. but we have another
v ewpoint, and are really tremendously
Interested in the feminist side of it.
There has never been firm Of women
architects before, but our example Is
going to helm somebody else, perhaps to
start ont and do what has never before
been done. We feel that the movement
fer women has gone beyond the point of
argument: the tn ng women must have
now is opportunity to try themselves"
Schenck & Mead. for such is the firm
mare have brand-new offices downtown.
two orders, summer house and a
bungalow. They will take any order
they say (as what architect will not7,
but they hav" a Certa n definite interest
in their chosen field, and that interest
is the planning of homes tenenents
and even com mmunities 1t IS a sort Of
hoUsekeeD'ne on "A large scale. and the
most natural interest in the world for
We ner who are architects
Heretofore men have planned houses
vels Of beauty. perhaps, and miracles of
taste. but likewise DrOdigies Of Incnn-
venience and impraC' ability. The din
ing room. for instance as conceived bv
mere man, has magnificent view Of
the rose garden but was some remote
dIstarCe from the kitchen: the wash
tubs were of the most durable cleain
and of exquisite lines. but thev usually
broke the washwoman's back: men
never forgot the fireplace. but the
And as for apartments-what woman
would hui d an apartment building OF
six stories without water pump On the
sixth floor. though the reception hall at
tne entrance did have marble pillars?
What woman would ever dream OF
| few closets and small ones though the
floor space was unusually ruOmv?
1t is the woman who mates the trip
from the kitchen t. the d!niny room.
rejecting as she goes, not on the hcalI-
length of the Journey and the diminish
ing crispness of the bacon: II is the
woman who has to appeaae the Iaun-
dress. the laundress that il took five
weeks to find: Il is the woman who has
TO gather up the laundry from the four
corners Of the house. II IS she also
who stands around and waits for the
water when ii won't come on the s;xth
| floor as the dishes wait for the L'essinp
Of hot sOapsuds: il is ST." who spends A
good hour on the dust-laden chandelier
so fearfullv and wonderfully made. II
| is she who has TO comne'c with the bug
bear of insufficient close room at the
time of mothba ls and blue tissue paper
And IL Is she. therefore, who should
make the house plans and fOrcstall
some nf these woeful nditicns
, Srhenck &. Mead. women and archi-
tects. ACCORDINGLY find the housing p~ob-
EN- the most fascinating one they meet
they are women first and architects =
next. and they find that. though the
coordination is good. the sequence ls
better They are anxious to tackle big
Problems tOo-the Arrangement of tene-
nents. and tenement and living COM
munities-
I'VE will undertake n railway station
or castle in Spain" they declare
but when we specialize it's going to be
| in building p aces TO live That's a big
0sld not nearly exhausted"