Sophia Hayden Bennett
Encyclopedia
Sophia Hayden Bennett was the first woman to receive an architecture
degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Bennett was born in Santiago
, Chile
. Her mother was South American and her father American. When she was six she was sent to Boston to live with her grandparents. In high school she found an interest for architecture. She graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in 1890 with honors with a degree in architecture. She is best known for designing the Woman's Building at the World's Columbian Exposition
, designing the building when she was just 21. She received $1,000 at the time for the design, when male architects earned three times as much. Bennett died in 1953 in Winthrop, Massachusetts
.
After completing her studies Hayden had a really hard time finding employment as an architect because she was a woman so instead of becoming an architect she became a drawing teacher at Boston High School. It was not until 1891 when she had the opportunity to do something with architecture. This opportunity was a design competition for women to design Women's Building for the world's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois from 1892-1893. Hayden won the competition. Hayden's building received an award for "Delicacy or style, artistic taste, and geniality and elegance of the interior wall" Despite her success and the fact that she won, critics thought that the building looked feminine and for that reason the building was torn down. Hayden frustrated with the way she had been treated decided to retired from architecture. Eight years later she married an artist, William Blackstone Bennett. After retiring she lived a quite life in Boston, Massachusetts until her death in 1953.
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Bennett was born in Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. Her mother was South American and her father American. When she was six she was sent to Boston to live with her grandparents. In high school she found an interest for architecture. She graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
in 1890 with honors with a degree in architecture. She is best known for designing the Woman's Building at the World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
, designing the building when she was just 21. She received $1,000 at the time for the design, when male architects earned three times as much. Bennett died in 1953 in Winthrop, Massachusetts
Winthrop, Massachusetts
The Town of Winthrop is a municipality in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population of Winthrop was 17,497 at the 2010 U.S. Census. It is an oceanside suburban community in Greater Boston situated at the north entrance to Boston Harbor and is very close to Logan International...
.
After completing her studies Hayden had a really hard time finding employment as an architect because she was a woman so instead of becoming an architect she became a drawing teacher at Boston High School. It was not until 1891 when she had the opportunity to do something with architecture. This opportunity was a design competition for women to design Women's Building for the world's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois from 1892-1893. Hayden won the competition. Hayden's building received an award for "Delicacy or style, artistic taste, and geniality and elegance of the interior wall" Despite her success and the fact that she won, critics thought that the building looked feminine and for that reason the building was torn down. Hayden frustrated with the way she had been treated decided to retired from architecture. Eight years later she married an artist, William Blackstone Bennett. After retiring she lived a quite life in Boston, Massachusetts until her death in 1953.
Further reading
- Allaback, Sarah; The first American women architects, Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2008. ISBN 9780252033216. p. 94-96.
- Larson, Erik; The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed AmericaThe Devil in the White CityThe Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America is a 2003 non-fiction book by Erik Larson presented in a novelistic style. The book is based on real characters and events. Leonardo DiCaprio purchased the film rights in 2010.The book is set in Chicago circa...
, Crown PublishersCrown Publishing Group-External links:*...
, 20032003 in literatureThe year 2003 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Peter Ackroyd - The Clerkenwell Tales*Atsuko Asano - No...
. ISBN 0609608444.