IAWA Association for Women in Architecture Records

IAWA

CAUS

Association for Women in Architecture Records, 1928-1992

Guide to MS 88-022
6 feet cu. ft.

Citation: Association for Women in Architecture Records, 1928-1992, MS 88-022, International Archive of Women in Architecture, University Libraries, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Historical Note
The Association for Women in Architecture (AWA) was originally founded in 1922 as Alpha Alpha Gamma, a national sorority for women architecture students. In 1934 the alumnae of the sorority formed the Association of Women in Architecture (AWA) as an organization for professional women architects. Its first president was H. Mae Steinmesch of St. Louis, Missouri. Subsequent presidents included Jean Driskel, Virginia Tanzmann, and Vicki Carter. Although chapters were formed in other cities, the Los Angeles, California, chapter was the most active. The other chapters gradually disappeared. Today the AWA exists only through its Los Angeles chapter, with a membership of approximately 200 women architects and designers in the Los Angeles area, with members-at-large across the country. In 1984 the AWA altered its name to the Association FOR Women in Architecture. The AWA holds annual meetings, gives out scholarships to women architecture students, and acts as a clearinghouse for information about women's status in the field of architecture.
Scope and Content
The records of the Association for Women in Architecture include committee reports, convention materials, photographs, presidents files, membership rosters, constitution and bylaws, correspondence, and videotapes. The materials are arranged chronologically. The photographs, slides, videotapes, and posters are filed at the end of the main administrative files.
Provenance
The records were deposited in June 1988 by the Association for Women in Architecture and August 1989 by Lorraine Rudoff, AWA historian.
Folder Inventory