Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Association for Women in Architecture, Ms1988-022, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Association for Women in Architecture Records were donated to Special Collections in June 1988. Additional materials were donated in August 1989.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Association for Women in Architecture Records was completed by L. H. Katz in December 1988. The EAD finding aid was created by Harvey Clark in September 2010.

Administrative History

The Association for Women in Architecture + Design (AWA+D) was founded in 1922 into Alpha Alpha Gamma, a national sorority for women architecture students, which arose from a student organization La Confrerie Alongine at Washington University in St. Louis founded by Mae Steinmesch, Helen Milius, Angela Burdeau and Jane Pelton in 1915. In 1934, the alumnae of the sorority formed the Association of Women in Architecture (AWA) as an organization for professional women architects. Its first president was H. Mae Steinmesch of St. Louis, Missouri. Subsequent presidents included Jean Driskel, Virginia Tanzmann, and Vicki Carter. In 1948, the oranization became the Association of Women in Architecture and Allied Arts (AWA).

Although chapters were formed in other cities, the Los Angeles, California, chapter was the most active. In 1964, the national organization dissolved and the other chapters gradually disappeared. The Los Angeles chapter, with a membership of approximately 200 women architects and designers in the Los Angeles area with members-at-large across the country is the only surviving original chapter. In 1975, the AWA altered its name to the Association FOR Women in Architecture. Its current name was adopted in 2012 as Association for Women in Architecture + Design (AWA+D).

The AWA+D holds annual meetings, gives out scholarships to women architecture students, and acts as a clearinghouse for information about women's status in the field of architecture.

Source: "AWA+D History: Herstory of the Organization", Association for Women in Architecture + Design, https://www.awaplusd.org/our-history

Scope and Content

The records of the Association for Women in Architecture include committee reports, convention materials, photographs, presidents files, membership rosters, constitution and bylaws, correspondence, and videotapes. The photographs, slides, videotapes, and posters are filed at the end of the main administrative files.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged according to the original order compiled by the AWA, which grouped related records together and identified each box by date range.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Architects
• Association for Women in Architecture (U.S.)
• International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)
• Women -- History

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Association for Women in Architecture by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).