Josephine Wright Chapman (1867–1943) was a pioneering woman architect, one of fewer than 100 practicing nationally in the first half of the 20th century. She was also the first woman architect "in the history of American architecture to start and head her very own firm," which she accomplished at the tail end of the 19th century. Practicing both in Boston and New York, she got her start as an apprentice in the prestigious Blackall, Clapp and Whittemore firm. Her first practice opened in 1897 in

Grundmann Studios Grundmann Studios (1893–1917) in Boston, Massachusetts, was a building on Clarendon Street in the Back Bay. It contained artist's workspaces and multipurpose function rooms Copley Hall and Allston Hall. Prior to 1893, it functioned as a s ...

, a Boston-based women's art collective. A member of the New York Society of Architects, and one of only 70 female architects in the United States at the time, she was refused admission by both the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

and the

Boston Architectural Club Boston Architectural College, also known as The BAC, is New England's largest private college of spatial design. It offers first-professional bachelor's and master's degrees in architecture, interior architecture, landscape architecture, and ...

on the basis of her gender. Nonetheless, her repertoire soon included "churches, clubs, libraries, and apartments, as well as the Women’s Clubs in Lynn and Worcester, Massachusetts." Chapman's second practice was founded in New York, and that's when her career really took off," confirmed by The Ladies’ Home Journal, which noted her popularity: “You can find her hapman’swork everywhere in the environs of New York…” Four of Chapman's buildings are now in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

: Boston's steel-framed Winthrop Building, Harvard's Craigie Arms (since renamed for Chapman), Worcester's

Tuckerman Hall Tuckerman Hall is a concert hall in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was built in 1902 in the Neoclassical style and restored in 1999. The architect was Josephine Wright Chapman. It is the home of the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra. Other current u ...

and Washington D.C.'s Hillandale, built for the heiress to Standard Oil in 1923.

Career

Chapman's architectural education began in 1892 when

Clarence Blackall Clarence Howard Blackall (February 3, 1857 – March 5, 1942) was an American architect who is estimated to have designed 300 theatres. Life and career Blackall was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1857. He attended college at the University of Ill ...

agreed to let her apprentice under him. Blackall taught her about

public building A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and fun ...

design and how to experiment with new materials. In 1893, the firm designed the first steel-frame building, the Winthrop Building in Boston. Chapman would go on to set up her own firm in Boston, in

, a women's art collective, in 1897. "The commission that made her reputation would be the New England Building and she began design work on it as soon as the announcement of the contest for the building appeared in the papers." That set the stage for all of her future success. Chapman was commissioned by

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

to design their Craigie Arms dormitory. While working on that project she also designed St. Mark's Episcopal in Leominster, Massachusetts. By the start of the 20th century, Chapman had six drafters, including one woman, at her firm. After 1901, she applied to join the

and the

. Both refused to admit her. In 1907 she was accepted by the New York Society of Architects, after relocating to New York City.She plans fine houses. Ottawa Free Trader, April 19, 1901 There, she opened a firm at

Washington Square Park Washington Square Park is a public park in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. One of the best known of New York City's public parks, it is an icon as well as a meeting place and center for cultural activity. ...

, focusing on residential design. Around 1909 she "reign dsupreme as the only woman architect in the Hub."

Gallery

(Selection was limited by availability.) File:Winthrop Building Boston.jpg, Chapman helped designed Boston's Winthrop Building, the first built with a steel frame, while at Blackall, Clapp and Whittemore in 1893. It is now in the

National Historic Register The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. File:Craigie Arms, 6 Bennett Street, Cambridge, MA - IMG 4336.JPG, Harvard's Chapman Arms (formerly Craigie Arms), was renamed for the architect. Built in 1897, in Cambridge, MA, it is now in the

. File:Worcester Club House.png, Worcester Woman's Club / Tuckerman Hall, Worcester, MA. (1902) is now in the

. File:1903 NewCenturyBuilding HuntingtonAve Boston.png, New Century Building, Huntington Ave., Boston, c. 1903. File:1903 NewCenturyBuilding HuntingtonAve Boston1.png, Boston's New Century Building, interior. File:1903 NewCenturyBuilding HuntingtonAve Boston2.png, Boston's New Century Building, interior.

Designs

* Craigie Hall / Craigie Arms, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts (1897) * All Saints Episcopal church, Attleboro, Mass. (c. 1900) * Episcopal church, Leominster, Mass. (c. 1900) * New England Building,

Pan-American Exposition The Pan-American Exposition was a World's Fair held in Buffalo, New York, United States, from May 1 through November 2, 1901. The fair occupied of land on the western edge of what is now Delaware Park, extending from Delaware Avenue to Elmwood A ...

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

, 1901 * Worcester Woman's Club / Tuckerman Hall, Worcester, Mass. (1902) * New Century Building, Huntington Ave., Boston (c. 1903) * Hillandale, Georgetown, Washington DC (1922) * Houses, Douglas Manor, Queens, NY (c. 1916)

Personal

Chapman was described as "modest, direct, simple," with "ability, energy, and indomitable faith in herself." (Ladies Home Journal, October 1914). Raised in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Chapman was one of four daughters to Mary E. Wright and James Levi Chapman, the president of the Fitchburg Machine Works.

Career

Gallery

Designs

Personal

See also

References

Further reading

External links