Overview
The untold story of America’s first independent female architect Minerva Parker Nichols (1862–1949) was the first American woman to practice architecture independently. Her specialty was residential spaces—though her commissions also included an iron foundry and a macaroni factory—and she was a significant figure in the design of the emerging railroad towns just outside of Philadelphia, where she was in active practice from 1883 until 1896. She was also a writer, teacher, and active participant in several reform movements of the era. Creating an archive in the absence of one, this book recovers Nichols’s forgotten story to document a career that spanned seven decades, engaging with contemporary questions about absences in the historical record, the challenges of architectural history and preservation, and the need for new tools and frameworks to address these gaps. A catalogue raisonné of her completed architectural works includes illustrations drawn from historical materials as well as newly drawn plans for five of her most significant designs. Archival material, paired with new photography documenting more than 30 extant buildings in the Philadelphia and beyond, offer a full and fully illustrated reconstruction of Nichols’s life and career. Distributed for the Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania
Full Product Details
Author: Heather Isbell Schumacher ,
Molly Lester ,
Franca Trubiano ,
William Whitaker
Publisher: Yale University Press
Imprint: Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300275179
ISBN 10: 030027517
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 02 April 2024
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
""The [volume] is several books in one: a detailed biography, an architectural catalog, and selections of Minerva's writings. Beyond her personal biography and her architectural record, they all contribute to an interesting look at a wide swath of American cultural and social history, from the Civil War through World War II.""--Hidden City Listed by Architect's Newsaper in ""48 books AN Editors Have Loved So Far This Year"" ""Minerva Parker Nichols is an exemplary, hopeful publication.""--Justine Clark, Places Journal
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Author Information
Heather Isbell Schumacher is archivist of the Architectural Archives, Molly Lester is the associate director of the Urban Heritage Project, Franca Trubiano is associate professor, and William Whitaker is curator in the Architectural Archives, all in the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, University of Pennsylvania. Elizabeth Felicella is an independent architectural photographer.
