IAWA NEWSLETTER

International Archive ofWomen in Architecture

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Fall 2000 No. 12

New AcquisitionsWomen Architects in Romania

Romania, a nation located insoutheastern Europe, lies betweenBulgaria, to the south, and theUkraine and Moldavia to the north.Romanians speak a Latin tongue in-troduced in the time of the RomanEmperor Trajan, who conqueredthese lands, and made way for alarge number of Roman immigrantsto settle in the province, called Dacia.During the Middle Ages, modern-day Romania consisted of three prin-cipalities: Wallachia,Moldavia,andTransylvania. From the 15th Cen-tury, the rulers of Wallachia andMoldavia retained a measure of in-dependence by paying heavy trib-ute to the Ottoman Empire;Transylvania, on the other hand, wasabsorbed by the Austrian-Hungar-ian Empire. Wallachia and Moldavia,united as one principality, Roma-nia,(1859), continued to be underOttoman suzerainty. In 1877, Roma-nia gained full independence onlywith the support of Russian troops.Transylvania joined the principalityat the end of WWI. Romania alliedwith Germany in WWII and surren-dered to Soviet troops in 1944. From1944 until 1989, a communist-led gov-ernment ruled the country, whichhad become a satellite of the SovietUnion.

Architectural education com-menced in the early 1890's, after Ro-mania gained its independence in aprivate school under the authority of

the Romanian Architects’ Society. Itbecame a state institution within theSchool of Fine Arts of Bucharest inthe late 1890’s and an independentHigher School of Architecture in 1904.The name of the institution changedseveral times–from ArchitectureAcademy in the 1930’s, to Faculty ofArchitecture within the Polytechnicof Bucharest during the 1940’s, to thepresent “Ion Mincu” Institute of Ar-

chitecture in 1952. Although womenachieved equal rights in the 1923constitution (this granted them theright to vote in local elections only),few entered the architectural profes-sion. One of the pioneers was LuciaDumbrâveanu (b. 1898) who stud-ied at the École des Beaux Arts inParis in the early 1920’s. In Paris, shemet her countryman and future hus-band Horia Creangâ (1892-1943) andin 1927, returned with him toBucharest to start a busy practice.Although Lucia collaborated withher husband on such Bucharest land-marks as the ARO (AsigurareaRomâneascnâ), a commission thatthey won by competition in 1929, hername was forgotten. Likewise, Vir-ginia Maria Andreescu Haret (1894-1962) and Henriette Delavrancea-Gibory (1894-1987) made major con-tributions to the Modern movementin Romania although their namesremain unknown today. VirginiaHaret was the first woman to gradu-ate (1919) from the School of Archi-tecture in Bucharest. She continuedher studies in Rome and returned toRomania for a long and flourishingpractice (figure 1). HenrietteDelavrancea-Gibory started her stud-ies at the School of Architecture in1913 (interrupted during WWI). andgraduated in 1926 and, after a suc-cessful practice, devoted her timeafter WWII to historic preservationand renovation. Among her manyprivate houses and villas is the

continued on pg. 2

(1) Virginia Haret, Prince Dimitrie CantemirCollege (1926), Bucharest.

(2) Henriette Delavrancea-Gibory, CantuniarHouse (1937), Bucharest.

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Cantuniar house in Bucharest (fig-ure 2).

We are grateful to architectIrene Patrulius (b. 1935), who do-nated her research paper and sev-eral slides of the work of thesewomen architects.

After WWII and until 1989,the Romanian government bannedprivate practice and forced architectsto work in state-controlled designorganizations. Documents from thisperiod have been neglected, or de-stroyed. A younger generation ofarchitects, eager to develop theirown private practices during the1990’s, have not protected this archi-tectural legacy. Fortunately, fourwomen recently donated samples oftheir work to the IAWA. All fourgraduated from “Ion Mincu” Insti-tute of Architecture: Maria MilitzaSion (b. 1938) in 1961; Doina MarilenaCiocânea (b. 1951) in 1976; GeorgetaGabrea (b. 1953) in 1978; and AnaUncu (b. 1954) in 1979. They allbegan their professional careers instate organizations and establishedprivate offices in the 1990’s.

Calarasi, Romania. Orphans andabandoned children are a serioussocial problem in Romania and manyorphanages operate in dilapidatedbuildings ill-suited to their needs. Incontrast, the orphanage in Calarasioffers a more sensitive program-matic response to this endemic prob-lem. This facility, whose construc-tion was sponsored by a humanitar-ian organization and financed by aSwiss banker, provides separaterooms for groups of 8 children, be-tween 2 and 6 years old. Each roomhas areas for sleeping, eating, andplaying and a bathroom. The playareas open to a covered terrace foroutdoor games. The facility containsa kindergarten also open to neigh-

Maria Militza SionMaria Militza Sion worked

for several design organizations in-cluding “Project Bucuresti” DesignInstitute. Her first job was in theprovincial town Galati (1961-66), sub-sequently, she returned to Bucharest.Sion designed many apartmentbuildings in Bucharest and co-de-signed four cultural centers in pro-vincial towns: Buzau (1970), in Sibiu(1972), Alba-Iulia (1974) and Calan(1975). For almost ten years (1978-86) Sion participated in the modern-ization and redevelopment of thecity of Miercurea Ciue inTransylvania. She designed apart-ment buildings, a hotel, and a largeshopping area. She also co-designedthe Romanian Embassy in Sofia, Bul-garia (1985-88). Militza Sion re-ceived the 1972 award of the Unionof Romanian Architects for her cul-tural center in Busau, and again in1973 for the cultural center in Sibiu.In 1986, the Union recognized herhousing neighborhood “1st May” inBucharest and the following year,she received the award for her workin Miercurea Ciue.

In 1992, Militza Sion openeda private office in partnership withMarina Neagu Sadoveanu (b. 1946).Their first large project was the Holi-day Inn Resort in Sinaia, which Sionbegan in 1990 with a winning com-petition entry sponsored by a localtravel agency. The subsequent pro-gram, however, required a muchlarger hotel with 4 star amenitiesincluding indoor and outdoor swim-ming pools, tennis courts, exhibi-tion and meeting rooms, a confer-ence hall, indoor and outdoor res-taurants and bars, etc. Set in a pri-vate park, Sion has described therecently completed hotel as “inte-grated in the landscape-a mountainplateau in the Prahova valley.”(Figure 3)

In 1997-98, Militza Sion de-signed and built an orphanage in

(3) Maria Militza SionHoliday Inn (1992-96), Sinaia

(4) Maria Militza SionOrphanage (1997-8), Calarasi. View fromcourtyard (above) and plan (below)

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borhood children, which integratethe younger orphans into the sociallife of the community. The adminis-tration occupies the attic floor, leav-ing the entire ground floor to thechildren. (Figure 4)

The office of Militza Sion builtanother orphanage in Turnu Severin,Romania, private houses in Sinaiaand Bucharest, and a number of of-fice buildings and apartments. Sionis also an artist and received the 1976annual award for graphic art as wellas the 1981 special award of the Juryfor Graphic Art. She donated someof her sketches to the IAWA, in addi-tion to drawings and photos of herbuildings. A number of her sketchesare within the Archive.

Doina Marilena CiocãneaDoina Marilena Ciocãnea

worked for ten years (1976-87) in theInstitute for Design and Construc-tion of Agricultural and Food Pro-duction Industries. Her storage fa-cilities for vegetables and fruits; fac-tories for canning them; wineries;slaughterhouses for chickens andrabbits; flour mills and bakeries, werebuilt in many towns and villagesaround the country. Subsequently,she became principle architect in the“Carpati", state-sponsored firm(1987-90) for the construction of theRomanian “House of the Republic,”–later named the “People’s House”.Today, the Parliament shares thisenormous building with an interna-

cal Arhitectura. Gabrea began herpractice in the “Metroul” enterprize(1978-86), designing undergroundsubway stations for the new metrosystem of Bucharest and severalapartment buildings. Thereafter, shejoined “Project Bucuresti” DesignInstitute (1986-94), collaborating withVenera Trisnevschi-Geta on suchlarge projects as the Bucharest Mu-nicipal Library, the “Boema” Musi-cal Theatre, and the sports complexat the Country Club. In 1992,Georgeta Gabrea and VeneraTrisnevschi-Geta, with other archi-tects and planners, formed “Capitel”Ltd., offering architectural and ur-ban design, land development, andreal-estate services. Under Gabrea'sleadership, the company grew and,in 1996, expanded to include"Capitel's" own construction projects.For this purpose, “Capitel” spawneda sister joint-stock company called“Capitel Ivest” with Gabrea as presi-dent. The company is involved in awide range of projects, ranging fromluxurious single family houses andapartment buildings to office build-ings and shopping centers. In 1998,“Capitel” was awarded the Arch ofEurope certificate for Excellence andQuality at the 23rd International Con-

tional conference center, museums,etc. Ciocãnea also designed admin-istrative buildings and workers’housing for several provincial towns.

With privatization, DoinaCiocãnea became the chief architectfor “PREDA” (1990-94) and later inthe firm “MACONZ International”Ltd., designing mostly private resi-dences. After obtaining a master’sdegree and license in Urban Designand Planning from the Institute ofArchitecture (1995), she establishedher private practice. She continuedher studies on environmental tech-niques at “Unesco-Cousteau” Uni-versity in Bucharest and received afellowship in 1996 to specialize inpublic policy and ecology in Madrid,Spain. Doina Ciocãnea is presentlyinvolved in ecological studies for thetown council of Bucharest and re-cently completed the “Study of Eco-logical Urban Design for the lakes’shores of the River Colentina inBucharest" (1996-98). (Figures 5 &6)

Georgeta GabreaGeorgeta Gabrea graduated

from the “Ion Mincu” Institute ofArchitecture in 1978. During herstudies at “Ion Mincu”, she focusedon the history of Romanian architec-ture. In 1974, she studied the historyof architecture at the InternationalCenter for Architectural Studies “An-drea Palladio” in Vicenza, Italy. Shewas co-author of several articles(1973-77) in the Romanian periodi-

(6) Doina Ciocãnea, rural dwelling, 1996.(plan and elevations)

(5) Doina Ciocãnea, “Old and New”, Bucharest, 1995 (ink sketch)

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vention in Madrid, Spain.Georgeta Gabrea donated

drawings and photographs of herprojects, including, the apartmentbuilding on 37 Polona Street,Bucharest (figure 7), an office build-ing in Bucharest, as well as the com-bined gas station, shopping and res-taurant she designed and built at sev-eral locations.

Prior to these donations, thearchives contained the work of onlyone Romanian architect, Silvia Paun(b. 1923). Silvia Paun recently do-nated her publication “Romania: TheHeavenly Signs”, in which she exam-ines the relationship between starsconstellations and Romanian popu-lar beliefs and customs, includinglunar and solar ornaments in folk artand architecture.

Ana UncuAna Uncu began her career

in the Design Section of TulceaCounty (1976-77) and then moved tothe Design Studio for the town ofPloiesti (1977-79). She designedapartment buildings for Tulcea andPloiesti, a public bath in Busteni, azoological park in Bucov, and reno-vated schools and housing. In 1980,Uncu was appointed to the ResearchInstitute for Metallurgy in Bucharest,where she designed industrial plantsand upgraded existing smelting fac-tories in Bucharest and provincialtowns. As private practice becamepossible, she joined, in 1990, a studioheaded by architect ConstantinMihalache, designing commercialfacilities; discotecs, restaurants andfast-food places. In 1997, Uncu joinedthe Ministry of Public Works andRegional Planning and focuses onneighborhood preservation and zon-ing. Her main interest is in the pres-ervation of folk architecture and vil-lages. She is the author of legislativeand legal requirements for sustain-able development and a member ofcommissions for cooperation be-

tween various state administrations.Uncu has served as a design juror,and organizer of exhibitions andsymposiums. In 1997 she consultedin the design of bathroom layoutsand kitchen furniture at “Sarmis”showroom and planned the“Domus” showroom, which pro-motes new construction materials.

In 1998, Ana Uncu completedpost-graduate studies in historicpreservation and restoration of his-toric monuments at the “Ion Mincu”Institute of Architecture. Uncu's the-sis titled “Historical Research in ar-chives and on the site for completingthe General Urban Plan of the villageValea Calugareasca, Prahova county,and in view to develop a strategy topreserve the cultural and landscapetreasures of this historic place, thehills of Dealu Mare”, is currently inthe Archive. We acknowledge thegenerosity and farsightedness of allthese women for preserving theirwork for posterity.

Marcia Feuersteinand

Milka Bliznakov

News from the Archive

DonationsFrom April 1999 through

March 2000, the IAWA received ninenew collections. Donations camefrom Elizabeth-Charlotte Harling,Jana Vulchanova, Nadya Stamatova,Radka Pavlova, Ana Uncu, MariaMilitza Sion, Georgeta Gabrea, KarinRühle, and Doina Marilena Ciocãnea,mostly due to the collecting efforts ofMilka Bliznakov during a recent tripto Europe this past summer. Addi-tions to prior donations came fromMaria Aubock, Silvia Paun, IngeHorton Sigrid Rupp, Dina Stancheva,and Lilia Gramatikova.

Gerrianne Schaad

Newman Library HostsIAWA Exhibition

Each year on the occasion ofthe annual board meeting, an exhibitdedicated to the IAWA opens inNewman Library. A goal of thisannual exhibit is to bring a greaterawareness of the InternationalArchive of Women in Architectureand of the designn work accom-plished by women. Two architec-ture students from the College ofArchitecture and Urban Studies,Jaime Lawson and C. Scott Patterson,designed the fall 1999 exhibition.“At a time when the number of fe-males practicing in architecture isgreatly increasing, there is a need foran organization devoted to femalearchitects and their work,” noted Ms.Lawson. The exhibit featured workby Jean Linden Young, M. RosariaPiomelli, Judith Edelman, Elisaveta(Elka) Rachova Ribarova, SusanaTorre, Zelma Wilson, Lois DavidsonGottlieb, and Virginia Currie. Theirwork was chosen for the quality andaspects in their designs demonstrat-ing a working knowledge of archi-tecture and clearly shared ideas on

(7) Georgeta Gabrea and Venera Trisnevschi-Geta, apartment building (1992-95), Bucharest

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paper and in various other forms ofmedia. This wide range of media,including pencil and ink drawings,watercolors, photographs, competi-tion drawings, models, and litera-ture, indicated the extent of the col-lection.

Special Collections staff aredesigning a Web site to view theexhibitions, and to reveal more aboutthe IAWA collection. It will be avail-able from the IAWA homepage athttp://spec.lib.vt.edu/iawa/.

From Your Care To Ours:Donations to the IAWA

The International Archive ofWomen in Architecture is supportedby two units at Virginia Tech. TheCollege of Architecture and UrbanStudies (CAUS) at Virginia Tech pro-motes the IAWA and women inarchitecturethrough lectures bynoted architects, exhibitions, andpublishing this newsletter. The ac-tual materials belong to the Archive— conceptual design and workingdrawings, artwork, photographs,office and research files, correspon-dence, and other materials are lo-cated and maintained in the DigitalLibrary and Archives, Newman Li-brary, Virginia Tech. This archivalcollection currently holds the papersof 180 architects, landscape archi-tects, interior designers, architectureassociations, and other women work-

ing in the built environment. Thesematerials are used for historical re-search by architectural and designstudents, historians and scholars.

Collections make their wayto the archive by different routes. Insome cases women contact the archi-vist directly, while in other cases, theBoard of Advisors actively seek newcollections from colleagues. In thecase of the Alberta Pfeiffer Architec-tural Papers, Pfeiffer introduced her-self to the archivist in 1988. Shewanted to retain her papers anddrawings while she was alive, butdeeded them to the Archive in herwill. The collection was added to theArchive after her death in 1994. TheHan Schroeder Architectural Paperswere donated to the Archive whenSchroeder was solicited by IAWAfounder Milka Bliznakov, who en-couraged her, as she has so manyothers, to see the Archive as a placewhere the materials will be preservedand made available to researchers.

The IAWA has grown sinceits inception in 1985. Many potentialdonors of architectural and designmaterials, or their heirs, have con-tacted the Archive directly, inquir-ing about how to donate their collec-tions. One of the first questions thatis asked when a collection is offeredis “what kind of stuff do you want?”In a perfect world where a personhas saved all the products that result

from their activities, they shoulddonate the entire collection. Every-thing is of scholarly interest, fromthe first inquiry from a client aboutdesigning a structure or space, theinitial conceptual drawings, the cor-respondence and specs regarding theproject, the project files, the draw-ings, the construction photographs,to the final photographs. All of theseitems tell the story of the thoughtprocess of the architect/designer andhow these thoughts interacted withthe client ‘s desire, the available con-struction material, and the currenttrends, to achieve the end product,be it house, commercial building,landscape design, product or inte-rior space.

In addition, if a woman haspublished papers or books, corre-sponded with others about architec-tural issues, issues related to work-ing in a male dominated profession,or taught, these original writings andfiles are of interest to the Archive.Published material will generally becataloged for the rare book section ofthe department. Presentations andnotes from memberships in architec-tural and design associations or ex-hibits are also candidates for dona-tion. Contacting the archivist fordetails about collections and theirmanagement is important.

If a woman did not save all ofthis type of material, then donating

First IAWA Research Prize in honor of Milka Bliznakov awarded to Claire Bonney, Ph.D.

The First International Archive of Women in Architecture Research Prize in honor of Milka Bliznakov has beenawarded to Claire Bonney, Ph.D., of Basel, Switzerland, for her original research on architect Adrienne Gorska (1899-1969). For the first stage of the prize, applicants outlined proposed projects. Three finalists from this initial stage,Cordula Mohr (Hamburg, Germany), Kweku Quansah (Blacksburg, VA) and Dr. Bonney, submitted proposals thatpossessed unusual merit. All three were invited to continue their work which was resubmitted for a second stage ofjudging. The prize, named in honor of Dr. Milka Bliznakov, founder of the IAWA and Professor of Architecture atVPI (Virginia Tech), was established in 1998 by the Board of Advisors of the IAWA with a cash award of $1,000.00. Theintent of the prize is to use IAWA files as the basis for additional research, or to further enrich the collection throughoriginal research in the area of design. Dr. Bonney’s research on Gorska will become a part of the permanent collectionof the IAWA once her project is complete. Jeanette Bowker, Marcia Feuerstein and Tony Wrenn

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what she does have is acceptable.Mylar drawings, the originals, arethe preferred choice for the finaldrawings. Archivists suggest thatarchitects use acid-free papers forsketches, but would rather havesketches made on other mediums,than no sketches. Electronic files arevery dependent on software andhardware. Do you still have five-inch floppy computer disks? And doyou have a computer that will readthem? Print out CAD files or thecorrespondence that is in electronicformats. Specs tell how the structureshould have been built and photo-graphs can show future researcherswhat the structure looked like in itsphysical setting. Newspaper clip-pings and publicity materials canalso tell historians how the structurewas received and viewed at its initialopening and throughout its life.

The Archive discourages thedonation of records, which includeitems that family members or thedonor consider too personal for theworld to view, or materials that theyfrequently use. Donors should con-sider the archive as a place for his-torical records and not as a recordsmanagement facility. If the materi-als are in danger of being destroyedor coming to harm, terms can benegotiated.

Collections consisting of pho-tocopies are also discouraged. Re-searchers are not satisfied with pho-tocopies and will ask for the locationof the originals. Also, if someone hasdonated a portion of their materialsto one repository, all material shouldbe given to the same repository. It iseasier for researchers to gather infor-mation when they only need to visitone site.

The Archive seldom placesrestrictions on the collections and asa rule discourages donors from giv-ing materials that may require com-plicated restrictions. Restrictionsthat would be allowed would be to

protect the privacy of an individual,and would have a time limit. Re-strictions defeat the very purpose ofthe Archive, which is to make thematerials available to researchers. Acollection might not be accepted intothe Archive if too many restrictionsor conditions are placed on its use.

At the time of the donation,the donor will sign a deed of gift,which transfers ownership and copy-right to the Archive. This enables thearchivist to allow photocopying byresearchers, the use of materials inteaching or presentations, and thedisplay of select items in web exhib-its. If the Archive does not receivethis permission with the deed of gift,then the donor or heirs need to becontacted every time a researcherdesires to use the materials. If con-tact cannot be made, then the mate-rial cannot be used, and the purposeof the creation of the IAWA is de-feated. For further information aboutdonating a collection please contactGerrianne Schaad at specref@vt.eduor 540-231-6308 or look at the collec-tions development policy located onthe IAWA web page - http://spec.lib.vt.edu/iawa/.

Gerri Schaad and Laura Smith

Changing of the Guard:Personnel Changes at the IAWAGerrianne Schaad:IAWA Manuscripts Curator

Gerri Schaad is the new Cu-rator of Historical Manuscripts andan assistant professor on the facultyof Virginia Tech’s University Librar-ies. On January 10,2000 , she as-sumed responsibility for processingmaterials donated to the Interna-tional Archives of Women in Archi-tecture, among other responsibili-ties within Special Collections. Shealso answers reference questions, cre-ates finding aids, and frequently fillsin for the head of Special Collections,

Gail McMillan, the Archivist forIAWA and Director of the DigitalLibrary and Archives.

Schaad is highly regardedand qualified, having worked atSmithsonian's National Anthropo-logical Archives; Harvard’sDumbarton Oaks, the premier re-search center for the studies ofByzantium, Pre-Columbian Art, andlandscape architecture; andRadcliffe’s Schlesinger Library. Shewas also Curator of Manuscripts atthe University of Texas at El Paso.Before moving to Blacksburg, Schaadsupervised manuscript processingfor the Special Collections Depart-ment at the Fondren Library, RiceUniversity (Houston). While withRice, she used digital imagery forworld wide web exhibitions and de-veloped a project to digitize archi-tectural holdings within the collec-tion. Schaad holds a Masters degreein Library and Information Sciencefrom the University of South Floridaand certification from the Academyof Certified Archivists.Schaad sees her move to VirginiaTech as an opportunity to aid re-searchers worldwide - whether theyare in Blacksburg or Bulgaria. TheIAWA is already benefiting from herwealth of experience in obtaining ma-terial from donors, arranging anddescribing collections, and preserv-ing dawings, documents, and pho-tographs while providing surrogatecopies via the Web.

Gail McMillan

Federica Goffi Assistswith Collection Management

The Special Collections De-partment was fortunate to hireFrederica Goffi, a doctoral student inarchitecture, to process several ar-chitecture collections. Under theguidance of Tamara Kennelly, Goffiprocessed the Elizabeth-CharlotteHarling Papers. She has also pro-cessed and written a guide to the

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papers of Jana Vulchanova andRadka Pavlova under the guidanceof Gerrianne Schaad. Goffi is a sec-ond semester student in the Environ-mental Design and Planning Doc-toral Program, focusing on restora-tion, the same topic she studied inItaly where she received her degreein Architecture. Her experience in-cludes 4 years at the Department ofArchitecture, University of Genoa,Italy working underProf. Buti whereshe specialized in diagnostic studyand structural assessment of "an-tique" timber structures. She hasperformed diagnostic studies onbuildings dating from the 16th to19th centuries.

Goffi applied for the intern-ship to become “familiar with ar-chives, archival methods and theirorganization. Having the chance tosee materials more closely and to getknowledge about what is availablecould be useful for future research.... It is interesting to see how muchwomen have done in architecture,especially because not much is taughtabout them. ”

Gerrianne Schaad

Laura Katz Smith:Manuscripts Curator Extraordinaire

When Laura Katz arrived atVirginia Tech’s University Librariesin 1987, she had just received herMasters in Library Science from theUniversity of Wisconsin, Madison.She found a small collection namedthe International Archive of Womenin Architecture. Now, there are over175 collections she has preserved.

Katz Smith has fond memo-ries, including the acquisition of theHan Schroeder papers, the archive'sfirst significant donation. She recallswhen Schroeder, who was in SpecialCollections working on translationsof the work from Dutch, helpedKatz, the then novice manuscriptscurator. She also recalled her corre-spondence with Alberta Pfeiffer of

contributed to the comprehensivecatalogue. She also participated in aworkshop (March 31-April 2) in Ber-lin for members of the InternationalUnion of Women Architects (UIFA)organized by Ute Weström, HildeWeström’s daughter. At the work-shop, participants from many Euro-pean countries discussed the futuredevelopment of the InternationalArchive of Women in Architectureand made commitments to donatetheir work to the IAWA.

Board of Advisors memberSolange d'Herbez de la Tour is plan-ning the next Congress of Interna-tional Union of Women Architects(UIFA). It will take place in Vienna,Austria at the end of June/begin-ning of July.

Lois Gottlieb's PhotographicExhibit "A Way of Life: An Appren-ticeship with Frank Lloyd Wright,1948-49" was at the Octagon in Wash-ington DC this Spring 2000. Theexhibition will be in Blacksburg(March 2001 ) to become part of thepermanent collection of the IAWA.

A Note from the ChairThis IAWA received a unique

form of material for the collection: aCD entitled A History of ArchitectureCybercore Project authored by MelanieLuck von Claparede and HumbertoRodriguez-Camilloni with the assis-tance of Paul Tavernese. Designedas a companion piece for students ofart and architecture from theCarolingian to the early Gothic Pe-riod, the CD contains case studymodules with lectures, images, bib-liography, glossary and a listing ofmuseums where some of the origi-nal artifacts may be found. Thiswonderful interactive compilation inthe CD format represents yet an-other possibility when consideringarchival material.

Donna Dunay

Hadlyn, Connecticut, who was inher late 80s when Katz Smith firstvisited Pfeiffer's home. She saw anabundance of work stored in rustedcabinets. Although Pfeiffer was notyet ready to part with it at that time,the Katz-Pfeiffer correspondencecontinued for several years.

Early in her tenure at Vir-ginia Tech, Katz Smith received agrant from the College of Fellows ofthe American Institute of Architects(FAIA) to begin the IAWA Newslet-ter. Clara Cox edited the first issuepublished in the fall of 1989. Bythen, 98 women and organizationshad donated materials.

Laura saw her connection tothe IAWA principally in terms ofpreserving materials. She saw theIAWA grow to over 175 collectionswith a guide, inventories, andInternet access through her WorldWide Web pages, still at http://spec.lib.vt.ed

Laura Katz Smith is currentlyCurator for Business, Railroad, La-bor and Ethnic Heritage and Immi-gration Collections, Thomas J. DoddResearch Center, University of Con-necticut, 405 Babbidge Road, U-205,Storrs, CT, 06269-1205.(From an interview at Virginia Tech,March 1999)

Gail McMillan

International and Other NewsOne of the first donations to

the IAWA was made by HildeWeström (b.1912), an architect inBerli, Germany. She recently do-nated the rest of her work to theBerlin Gallery. This spring, theVerborgene Museum in Berlinmounted an exhibition of Weström’slife-long achievements (March 25-April 30, 2000) curated by Prof. Dr.Kerstin Dörhöfer. Hundreds ofpeople came to the exhibition to en-joy the beautiful display in the BerlinPavilion. IAWA founder, MilkaBliznakov spoke at the opening and

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International Archive of Women in ArchitectureSpecial Collections Department, University Libraries

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityP.O. Box 90001

Blacksburg, Virginia 24062-9001 U.S.A.540-231-6308

http://spec.lib.vt.edu/spec/iawa/

Director and Founder

Milka T. Bliznakov, Ph.D.Professor EmeritaDepartment of ArchitectureCollege of Architecture &Urban StudiesVPI & SU

ChairDonna Dunay, AIAProfessorDepartment of ArchitectureCollege of Architecture &Urban StudiesVPI & SU

SecretaryMarcia Feuerstein, Ph.D., AIAAssistant ProfessorDepartment of ArchitectureCollege of Architecture &Urban StudiesVPI & SU

TreasurerHumberto Rodriguez-Camilloni, Ph.D.ProfessorDepartment of ArchitectureCollege of Architecture &Urban StudiesVPI & SU

ArchivistGail McMillanDirector, Associate ProfessorDigital Library and ArchivesUniversity LibrariesVPI & SU

Board of Advisors

Jeanette Bowker, Ed. D.Associate ProfessorNear EnvironmentsCollege of Human Resources &EducationVPI & SU

Solange d'Herbez de la Tour,Hon. FAIA, DFAB, DEPBPresidentL'Union Internationale des FemmesArchitectesParis, France

Diane FavroAssociate ProfessorArchitecture and Urban DesignUniversity of California, Los Angeles

Blanche Lemco van Ginkel,Hon. FAIA, FRAIC, CIP, FCAProfessor EmeritusUniversity of Toronto, Canada

Eileen E. Hitchingham, Ph.D.Dean, ProfessorUniversity LibrariesVPI & SU

Inge S. Horton, Dipl. Ing., MCPCity Planner (Retired)San Francisco, California

Paul L. Knox, Ph.D.Dean, University Distinguished ProfessorCollege of Architecture &Urban StudiesVPI & SU

Evelyne Lang Jakob, Ph.D, EPFZ, SIAProfessor (History &Critic of Architecture)University of Applied Sciences ofFreibourg Switzerland

Nobuko NakaharaArchitectTokyo, Japan

Mitzi Vernon, IDSAAssistant ProfessorDepartment of ArchitectureCollege of Architecture & Urban StudiesVPI & SU

Patricia E. WilliamsVice President of Policy and ProgramsAmerican Association of MuseumsWashington, D.C

Joan WoodPresidentJoan Wood Associates-ArchitectsBoston, Massachusetts

Tony P. Wrenn, Hon. AIA, CAAIA, Archivist (Retired)Fredericksburg, VA

IAWA Newsletter is published by the International Archive ofWomen in Architecture. Requests to reproduce material in thenewsletter, reader comments, and contributions should be ad-dressed to IAWA Newsletter, University Libraries Special Collec-tions Department, P.O. Box 90001, Blacksburg, Virginia 24062-

9001, U.S.A. © Copyright 1998

Editor and Design: Marcia Feuerstein Layout Assistants: Dawn Bushnaq and Phetsmone Kompathoum

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students,or applicants on the basis of race, sex, handicap, age, veteran status,national origin, religion, political affiliation, or sexual orientation.Anyone having questions concerning discrimination should con-tact the Equal Employment/Affirmative Action Office.

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