Katharine Budd

Katharine Cotheal Budd
The Harry C. Duncan House designed by Katharine Budd
Born	1860
Died	1951 (aged 91)
Occupation	Architect

Katharine Cotheal Budd (1860–1951) was a pioneering woman architect and author who ran a New York City architectural practice for over three decades. She became a member of the American Institute of Architects in 1924. She obtained an architectural license in Georgia in 1920.

From 1891-1894, Katharine Cotheal Budd studied art and design at William Merritt Chase's Shinnecock School in Long Island; after which, she served as secretary and administer of the cottages and had the opportunity to renovate several of the buildings. While not formally trained in architecture, she learned from architect and Columbia University professor William R. Ware. Additionally she worked with architects Grosvenor Atterbury, Grenville T. Snelling, and William Porter. After 1910, she entered into a partnership with Henry G. Emery and they worked together for several years. She maintained a Manhattan office since 1899, and employed Esther Marjorie Hill from 1925-1928. Primarily her work was in Arts and Crafts, Colonial revival, and Mediterranean styles. By 1908, Budd had designed more than 100 houses, but also designed hospitals and churches.

During World War I Budd, along with architects Julia Morgan and Fay Kellogg, designed Hostess Houses for the YMCA, which specifically sought women architects. They were facilities for female friends and relatives of troops and located near existing army bases; Budd's were located in the South and Midwest. The first she designed was the Great Lakes Hostess House, taking God's Providence House of Chester, England as precedent. She was responsible for 72 of the 96 Hostess Houses, either designing or renovation the projects; most are modelled from barns and country houses.