In 1885, Louise Bethune applied for membership to the Western Association of Architects (WAA). Daniel Burnham, board chairman, and Louis Sullivan, treasurer, actively supported her application, and the WAA changed its membership rules to admit women.
Louise established the Buffalo Society of Architects in 1885, serving as the organization’s secretary and first vice president. In 1888, she successfully applied to the American Institute of Architects (AIA), becoming its first woman member.
A significant milestone for Louise occurred in 1891 when she decided not to participate in the competition for the Women’s Building at the World’s Columbian Exposition. While male architects were handpicked and offered commissions for their work, the architect of the Women’s Building was expected to enter a design competition at her own expense. The winning female entrant would receive a commission one-tenth the amount offered to male architects.
While Louise’s decision to reject these terms robbed her of the opportunity to work with prominent AIA colleagues on the most ambitious project of their careers, it provided her with a platform to voice her strong belief in pay equity for women.
Narration by Kelly Hayes McAlonie FAIA, AUA, LEED AP, Director, Campus Planning, University at Buffalo and author of the book, Louise Blanchard Bethune: Every Woman Her Own Architect
Bethune, Bethune & Fuchs and an unidentified apprentice photo from the late 1880s.
Louise Bethune around the time she was admitted into the Western Association of Architects, circa 1885
Louise Bethune at Work, circa 1880-1890
![Police Station No. 2, First floor [401 Seneca Street], circa 1887. Louise submitted this project for her admission to the AIA](https://nyheritage.org/sites/default/files/content/exhibit/stories/police.jpg)
Police Station No. 2, First floor [401 Seneca Street], circa 1887. Louise submitted this project for her admission to the AIA.