Mary Rockwell Hook
| Mary Rockwell Hook | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
September 8, 1877 Junction City, Kansas |
| Died | September 8, 1978 (aged 101) |
| Nationality | United States |
| Alma mater |
Wellesley College Art Institute of Chicago Atelier Auburtin at the École des Beaux-Arts |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Practice |
Mary Rockwell, Mary Rockwell Hook, Hook and Remington |
| Projects | Pine Mountain Settlement School |
Mary Rockwell, Mary Rockwell Hook,
Mary Rockwell Hook (September 8, 1877 – September 8, 1978) was an American architect and a pioneer for women in architecture. She worked principally from Kansas City, Missouri but designed throughout the United States. She was denied admission to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) because of her gender.
But she did obtain recognition for her work, including by the AIA, later, on her 100th birthday. And according to an article in the newsletter of the International Archive of Women in Architecture, "Mary Rockwell Hook will be remembered, not because she was a woman working in a 'man's field,' but because she was a successful designer who made her mark in the field of architecture."
Between 1910 - 1930, there were actually five women who worked as architects in the Kansas City area. Hook was the only one to achieve any wider recognition.
Born in Junction City, Kansas, Mary was the third of five daughters of Bertrand Rockwell (1844-1930), a successful grain merchant and banker, and Julia Marshall Snyder (1850-1947), a vital woman who was the first historian for the parish known today as Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri, in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1906, the Rockwell family moved to Kansas City. Mary Rockwell married Inghram D. Hook (1883-1973), an attorney, in 1921. The couple adopted two boys, Eugene and Edward (Dick). Mary died on her 101st birthday.
Mary Rockwell (later Hook) graduated from Wellesley College in 1900. According to Hook's autobiography, she decided to become an architect after a 1902 family trip abroad:
"It was during this trip home from the Philippines that I decided someone needed to improve the design of the buildings used by our government abroad. I made up my mind to go home and study architecture."
...
Wikipedia