During the middle of the 20th century, various women’s auxiliary groups were formed to support local and state chapters of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The names of these groups were usually a variation of Women’s Architectural League (WAL) or Women’s Architectural Auxiliary (WAA) depending on the location of the chapter. WAL groups were active from 1941 through the early 1980s. Membership usually included the wives of AIA architect members and sometimes women architects. The groups were most often involved in public education, architectural scholarship fundraising, political lobbying, assisting with the hosting of national or state AIA conventions held in their home city, and hosting social events for women associated with the field of architecture.
Founding and establishment The first recorded WAL groups were founded in California. In 1940, wives were invited to attend the State Association of California Architects Convention in Monterey with their husbands. A delegate presenting on ways to improve architect public relations, Mr. Norman Blanchard, AIA, of San Francisco, suggested the organization of a women’s auxiliary to the state AIA and was met with great enthusiasm.“Convention Echoes: Public Relations,” Architect and Engineer 143, no. 2 (November 1940). In the spring of 1941, the first two chapters were formed—the East Bay Chapter with 42 charter members and the San Francisco Chapter with 22 charter members. The name “Women’s Architectural League” was adopted in 1946, and the organization was officially incorporated in 1951.Mrs. Bolton White, “The Women’s Architectural League, California,” Journal of the American Institute of Architects XVII, no. 5 (May 1952): 218–22.
WAL activities were put on hold during the years of World War II, but detailed news of California’s women’s auxiliary groups first appeared in the national AIA Journal in 1946.Mrs. Irwin M. Johnson, “The Women’s Architectural Leagues,” Journal of the American Institute of Architects VI, no. 3 (September 1946): 122–27. Other states followed suit, and by 1964 fifty WAL chapters existed throughout the United States supporting local AIA chapters.Robert E. Koehler, “WAL: In Praise of the Ladies,” AIA Journal XLI, no. 4 (April 1964): 43–45.
In 1949, the California group of WALs was included in a national publication entitled Guide to Women’s Organizations: A Handbook About National and International Groups that acknowledged the need for women’s groups to devote themselves to the important political, social, and environmental issues of the day rather than just inconsequential social activities.Ellen L. Anderson, Guide to Women’s Organizations: A Handbook About National And International Groups (Washington: Public Affairs Press, 1949).
Organization Unlike the AIA, the women’s auxiliary groups were not directly overseen or regulated by a single national organization. Instead, each group was unique to its chapter and locale. Since no single national organization existed, there is no central archive of chapters, membership rosters, or general history in existence. Groups had different names depending on the preference of its founding members, although they were usually a variation of Women’s Architectural League (WAL) or less commonly Women’s Architectural Auxiliary (WAA).
Relationship to AIA and structure While membership in the AIA is on three levels—national, state, and local with dues being paid to all three components—the women’s auxiliary groups lacked a national structure. They had no official ties to the national AIA and instead were affiliated with either a regional or state chapter. Many of the AIA chapters served by the auxiliaries appointed a liaison officer to the Board or Central Committee of the WAL to advise.
Chapters wrote their own by-laws or constitution and elected officials (typically president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary). A board was also formed in some cases. Members-at-large served on committees which varied depending on the mission and interests of the chapter. WAA New York included committees for benefit planning, history, membership, program, public relations, and scholarship. WAL San Francisco committees included legislative, educational, program, membership, and publicity.
The California WAL groups were also loosely organized at the state level. They formed a Central Committee in 1951 due to the large number of groups spread across the state. The president plus one delegate from each chapter participated, and the committee served as a central information source and resource for establishing new chapters.
Recognition by AIA Beginning with the 1962 National AIA Convention held in Dallas, a meeting of all women’s architectural auxiliaries was traditionally scheduled on the national convention program with the purpose of exchanging ideas. The Dallas convention featured a panel on women’s architectural auxiliary groups to encourage the growth and formation of new chapters. Participants included Mrs. Robert Cutler, immediate past president of the New York Women’s Architectural Auxiliary; Mrs. Malcolm Reynolds of the East Bay WAL, Mrs. A. B. Swank Jr. of the Dallas WAL, Mrs. Harold Colhoun of the Houston WAL, Mrs. R. Max Brooks of the Austin WAL, and Mrs. Reginald Roberts of San Antonio WAL. This discussion also confirmed that a national WAL organization was unnecessary as chapters preferred to pursue their own goals locally.Jeanne Barnes, “Wives of Architects Explore Possibilities For AIA Auxiliaries,” Dallas Morning News, May 8, 1962.
In the early 1980s the national AIA Journal listed Women’s Architectural Leagues in their Directory of AIA Resources published annually in the mid-August issue:Women’s Architectural Leagues: Organized to promote and advance public awareness of architecture and to complement the activities of local AIA components. WAL has chapters throughout the country and holds a national meeting in conjunction with the annual AIA convention. Interested persons and components may obtain a roster of WAL chapters and information on local chapter activities.“Directory of AIA Resources,” AIA Journal 69, no. 10 (August 1980): 76–114.Informational materials could be requested through the national Component Services Office.
Membership Membership was typically limited to women related to architect members of the AIA including wives, widows, sisters, mothers, and daughters over the age of 18. In some regions it was typical to find women architects within the auxiliary membership. Some of these women architects were also members of the AIA, but not all. In later years, chapters that were still active often extended membership to any women interested in learning about architecture, regardless of affiliation with the field. By 1970, the NY WAA stated it was, “open as well to women similarly dedicated to its goal of helping young people seeking architectural careers.”“WAA Begins 13th Year,” Oculus 44, no. 1 (September 1970).
Some chapters offered different levels of membership. The New York WAA offered both active and patron tiers. Active members participated in the normal business and social activities of the group while patron members contributed financial support and often the power and sway of a well-known name. Many WAL groups offered corporate and associate memberships. Corporate members were wives of licensed architect AIA members. Associate memberships allowed for wives of unlicensed architectural school graduates or draftsmen to participate. Associate members could not always hold office or vote.
Purpose The mission of women’s auxiliary groups varied by chapter, with some focusing on fundraising through social functions and others dedicated to public education and service. Many chapters shared the language used by the first California chapters in their mission statements: “to advance the architectural profession, to create greater public interest in the profession, and to promote friendship and unity within the group.”
Regardless of their specific purpose, women’s auxiliary groups were important in that they allowed ordinary women to contribute to the field of architecture during a time when women architects were the exception rather than the norm. Some WAL chapters undoubtedly helped shape the profession and architectural history with their activities. The work of individual architects was uplifted and promoted by WAL groups with their house tours and lecture programs, and architects and the architectural profession were elevated in public esteem. Countless architectural students benefited from WAL scholarship funding, and many high school students were introduced to architecture as a viable career option.
Programming Although they varied by chapter, activities typically fell into five categories.
Public education In the early 1940s, many architects were working to improve public relations for the profession at large. The general public had little knowledge of the skills and services offered by architects making it difficult to effectively market to clients. Many WAL chapters put on informative lecture series and architectural tours aimed at educating the public about the role of architects and the benefits of good design.
Women’s auxiliaries often garnered free publicity for the AIA when news of their activities circulated in local papers. A 1952 article in the AIA Journal written by the current San Francisco WAL president claimed that because of WAL activities the words “architect” and “architecture” appeared more frequently, and many newspapers had added regularly occurring content related to residential and commercial design and building as interest in the field increased.
Publications As part of their public education efforts, several chapters authored and published guides and books related to home planning and the architecture of their city or state to further public architectural education.
San Francisco Bay Area, California Women’s Architectural League Home Planning Guide, 1948. You and Your Architect: A Home Planning Guide, 1956. San Francisco WAL’s focus on increasing interest in architecture and improving public education regarding the profession resulted in these two publications aimed at housewives interested in working with an architect to design or renovate their homes. The style and content of the text reinforces the group’s respect for the architectural profession and its practitioners.
Austin, Texas Austin and Its Architecture, 1976.“Austin Architects Look at the City,” Austin American Statesman, December 19, 1976. The Women’s Architectural League of Austin collaborated with the Austin AIA to research and edit this volume on Austin architecture for the 1976 bicentennial. Austin’s Blueprint for Laughter, 1977. WAL Austin authored and published this book containing architectural jokes and humorous anecdotes.
Portland, Oregon A Century of Architecture in Oregon, 1859–1959, 1959.
WAL Oregon published a book on Oregon architecture in celebration of the state’s centennial with writing by Professor Marion Dean Ross.
St. Louis, Missouri Historic Buildings and Contemporary Structures, date unknown. Two books, featuring 18 historic buildings and 12 contemporary buildings, were written by the St. Louis Women’s Architectural League with an architect consultant for each building. Edited by George McCue, Hon. AIA, and Robert Vickery, AIA.
Academic education support Most WAL groups provided financial support of some kind to students pursuing architectural education at the university level in the form of scholarship awards. Some chapters worked to improve architectural education in public schools at the junior high and high school levels. Activities included fundraising to purchase architectural books, slides, and films for schools; organizing AIA representation at career days; and sponsoring high school design and writing competitions.
Political lobbying