Celebrating the Work of Julia Morgan
This year is the sesquicentennial of Julia Morgan’s birth. Born on January 20, 1872, Morgan became the first female architect. She designed more than 700 structures, many of them surviving today.
Julia Morgan
Image from Julia Morgan Papers, Special Collections and Archives, California Polytechnic State University
Julia Morgan was determined to have a career in architecture. She studied engineering at the University of California, Berkeley - there was not an architecture program available.
She was often the only woman in math, science and engineering courses. She graduated in 1894 as the first woman to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering with honors.
She was mentored at U.C. Berkeley by an engineer named Bernard Maybeck. He encouraged Morgan to attend the prestigious Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. The school had never allowed a woman to study architecture though it opened its entry process to women in 1897 and Morgan was admitted.
Morgan earned a certificate in architecture from the school. She was the first woman to receive a certificate. She returned to California to work and become the first woman to obtain an architecture license in 1904.
The devastating San Francisco earthquake of 1906 gave Morgan the opportunity to design many homes, offices, churches and schools. She had developed a working knowledge of reinforced concrete. A structure she designed withstood the earthquake and help build her reputation. This led to important commissions such as the redesign of the landmark Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco after it was severely damaged by fire following the earthquake.
Fairmont San Francisco Hotel
Image by Elisa.rolle used under Creative Commons license.
During her life, Morgan was celebrated with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree, the highest award from the University of California, Berkeley. It was conferred upon her on May 15, 1929.
The degree included a personal tribute: “distinguished alumna of the University of California, artist and engineer; designer of simple dwellings and of stately homes, of great buildings nobly planned to further the centralized activities of her fellow citizens; architect in whose works harmony and admirable proportions bring pleasure to the eye and peace to the mind.”.
Julia Morgan is best known for her collaboration with William Randolph Hearst that produced San Simeon on the California coast though her work with the Hearst family spans three generations. Some people believe William Randolph Hearst was the inspiration for Orson Welles’ famous film Citizen Kane though Welles has stated Kane is a composite character.
Front facade of the main house at Hearst Castle.
Image by King of Hearts used under Creative Commons license.
The American Institute of Architects awards its prestigious Gold Medal as its highest annual honor. The Gold Medal is awarded in recognition of individuals whose work has had a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture.
Julia Morgan was awarded The Gold Medal in 2014. Though it was awarded posthumously, Morgan passed in 1957, she was the first female recipient of The Gold Medal.
Earlier this year, the Institute for Classical Architecture and Art (ICAA) hosted a webinar with author Victoria Kastner. Kastner was the official historian at Hearst Castle and is the author of a trilogy of its history.
Kastner has just published Julia Morgan: An Intimate Biography of the Trailblazing Architect. That’s quite a feat since Morgan was a notoriously private person who lived modestly.
Thankfully, the ICAA has published a recording of the presentation Kastner made to the Institute. She reviews many of Morgan’s projects and constructs a detailed timeline of Morgan’s life.
We highly recommend the presentation. Kastner paints a picture of a practical yet determined woman who realizes great success that is celebrated to this day.
My buildings will be my legacy... they will speak for me long after I'm gone.
— Julia Morgan
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