Hi again everyone! Last week in MoDI we discussed a few different directions to continue my research in: pre vs post WWII architects or two post war architects in different countries. I think due to my interest in modernism, and its social implications, I am leaning towards the second option.

As of now my capstone research will consist of the analysis/comparison of two female, modernist, post WWII architects and how their political context might have shaped their designs. I plan for this to be a two semester capstone, with a semester dedicated to each architect. However, Ive gone a bit back to the drawing board with who my case studies will be. Currently, I am leaning towards one American case study, and one from another continent. I think having the case studies from different world contexts is integral to analyzing how political context relates to their designs. In past weeks, I had been looking at Eileen Gray and Lina Bo Bardi as options for an international example, but I have been struggling to find an American architect who I feel best fits my topic. That is where a bit of research and more reading has continued my push…

This week as I’ve been continuing to read Women Architects at Work: Making American Modernism by Mary Anne Hunting, I’m now about halfway through, I’ve been continuously searching for the ‘perfect’ case study for researching my question ‘How did political context affect the evolution of modernism through female architects in the post war era?’ One thing which has been made remarkably evident in my reading of this book is that women in architecture, especially in the United States, were often pushed to design residential architecture, this brings about the question do I compare two residential architects, two commercial architects, or one of each?

As for possible examples of American architects, there have been a few which have stood out to me: Eleanor Raymond (1887-1989), Ellamae Ellis League (1899-1991), Marion Mahoney Griffin (1871-1961), and Elizabeth Hiram Fleisher (1892-1975). I’m hoping as I get further into Hunting’s book I will continue to learn even more about each of these designers and have a better understanding of which is strongest for continuing my research. I will add, that even just halfway through, this book has been one of the most helpful pieces of literature pertaining to my subject i’ve read this semester- in not just searching for case studies, but for understanding the working environment for female architects within the US in greater detail.

As always, thank you all for reading and if you have any ideas for continuing my research, or questions about why I’ve done something the way I have please reach out in the comments!