Patricia W. Swan (April 21, 1924 – January 23, 2012) was an American architect. Swan was an

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

for the international architectural and engineering firm Skidmore, Owing and Merrill for thirty five years. She was one of two women Participating Associates with the firm in 1956 and became an Associate Partner in 1970. She is known for projects that include the Toronto Dominion Square, in

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,30 ...

and Denver Square in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Life

She was born in

Malden, Massachusetts Malden is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 66,263 people. History Malden, a hilly woodland area north of the Mystic River, was settled by Puritans in 1640 on la ...

to Mary (Flett) Swan and Dewey Swan. She earned degrees from

Antioch College Antioch College is a private liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1852 as a non-sectarian institution; politician and education reformer Horace Mann was its f ...

and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

Career

Swan briefly attended Antioch College for a year before entering the

Women's Army Corps The Women's Army Corps (WAC) was the women's branch of the United States Army. It was created as an Auxiliaries, auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) on 15 May 1942 and converted to an active duty status in the Army of the U ...

in 1944. From 1944-46, Swan served as a wartime military meteorologist. After serving, Swan attended Columbia University to earn her architectural degree. She graduated in 1951. Following graduation, Swan began working for Skidmore, Owings, Merrill at a time when it was most unusual for women to work in architecture. She first worked at the New York offices and went on to help develop the Denver office. She was the lead designer of the Republic Plaza in Denver and many other buildings in the city. She and her team designed high rises and urban complexes for working, shopping, and entertainment. Swan retired in 1986. Swan died in Denver in 2012 at the age of 87. In the words of her sister, Sandy Swan: "She had a rare combo of executive talent and artistic talent."

References

External Links

Pioneering Women of American Architecture, Patricia Weston Swan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swan, Patricia Antioch College alumni 20th-century American architects Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation alumni 1924 births 2012 deaths American women architects 21st-century American architects People from Malden, Massachusetts Architects from Massachusetts