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10 Things To Know About Architect Julia Morgan

Julia Morgan was born on January 20, 1872, in San Francisco, California, U.S., and died on February 2, 1957, in San Francisco, California, U.S. She was a famous American architect and engineer.

Julia was the daughter of Charles Bill Morgan and Eliza Woodland Parmelee Morgan, the daughter of millionaire Albert O. Parmelee. She was the second born of a family of 5 children.

She designed several buildings throughout her career such as Los Angeles Examiner Building, Asilomar Conference Grounds, The YWCA in Chinatown, San Francisco, and Riverside Art Museum.

She was the first woman to receive the AIA Gold Medal, the American Institute of Architects’ highest award.

1. Designed More Than 700 Buildings in California

Julia Morgan photo By James Lin

One thing you should know about Morgan is that she designed more than 700 buildings in California throughout her architectural career. Some of the buildings she has designed include:

Hearst Castle (1919-1947), Julia Morgan Hall, El Campanil, Hacienda del Pozo de Verona, College Avenue Presbyterian Church, Julia Morgan House, Julia Morgan Theater, Oakland YWCA Building, and Seldon Williams House among others.

2. First Woman to Be Admitted to the Architecture Program at the Beaux-Arts

École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts photo By Mbzt

During her senior year, one of her lecturers Bernard Maybeck mentored Morgan together with her classmate Lewis P. Hobart, Arthur Brown, Jr, and Edward H. Bennett. Bernard was an architect who designed buildings that Julia admired. He encouraged Morgan to continue with her education at the prestigious in Paris where he had distinguished himself.

After graduating from the university in 1894, she worked with Maybeck for one year gaining experience for one year, and then moved to Paris in 1896 to prepare for the Beaux-Arts entrance exam.

She was the first woman to be admitted to the architecture program at Beaux-Arts. Previously the school had never allowed a woman to study architecture.

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3. In Many of her Structures, Julia Used Reinforced Concrete

It is good to know that Julia used reinforced concrete to design most of his buildings. The first ever building Julia to complete using a reinforced concrete structure was El Campanil in April 1904. It promoted her career and made her popular, opening many opportunities for her.

Some of the other buildings she designed using reinforced concrete include The San Francisco Women’s City Club, The YWCA Building in Oakland, and The Stockton State Hospital among others.

4. Morgan was the First Woman to Receive the American Institute of Architects Highest Award

One thing to know about Julia is that she was the first ever woman to receive the American Institute of Architects (a professional organization for architects in the United States) highest award, the AIA Gold Medal.

The AIA Gold Medal is awarded by AIA in recognition of a significant body of work of lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture.

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5. Her Father Charles Morgan Didn’t Succeed in Any of His Business Ventures

It is sad to know that Julia’s father was unlucky when it came to business ventures. He was married to Eliza a daughter of Albert O. Parmelee, a millionaire, and cotton trader, he financed the couple in their expenditures.

Charles Morgan was a mining engineer from New England and he didn’t succeed in any of his business ventures, this is the reason his family was dependent on Parmelee’s fortune, his wife’s family.

Julia’s father had his first venture in 1865, in California when he bought land in Santa Paula to unsuccessfully drill for oil. He then co-founded the Shasta Iron Company, which dissolved after limited income in 1875.

6. She was the First Woman to Hold a B.S. Degree in Civil Engineering at Berkeley with Honors

Julia was focused on her education and she was dedicated to what she did concerning education. In 1890 she graduated from Oakland High School. Morgan wished to become a professional architect one day. Later she joined the University of California to study Engineering in nearby Berkeley since they never had an architectural program.

Julia was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta, an international women’s fraternity founded on January 27, 1870, at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. She as well participated in creating a chapter of the YWCA which made it possible for women to use the gymnasium during her time as a student at the university.

In 1894, she graduated with a B.S. degree in civil engineering, a professional engineering discipline that deals with construction, maintenance, and design, and she became the first woman with a B.S. degree in Civil engineering at Berkeley with honors.

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7. She Was the First Woman to Receive a Certificate in Architecture From a School

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For one to be admitted at the prestigious École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, one had to be among the top 30 candidates. Julia took three tries to get in. The third time she passed the entrance exams in the architecture Program, she was number 13 out of 376 applicants winning herself a chance and was admitted.

The school prohibited order scholars and she only had until her 30^th birthday to study. In early 1902, before her 30^th birthday, Morgan submitted an outstanding design for a palatial theater. It won her a certificate in architecture, and she was the first ever woman architect to receive one from the school.

It is interesting how she achieved this in only 3 years, even though the usual time of completion was five years.

8. Julia was the First Woman to Obtain an Architecture License in California

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It is amazing to know that Julia Morgan was the first woman to get an architecture license in California ack im 1904. She obtained one after working for architect John Galen Howard for some time and planned to work on her own.

She opened her own office in San Francisco and she was famously known as ‘J.M’ by her staff. However, her first office was destroyed by the 1906 fire and later she reopened another office on the 13^th floor of the Merchants Exchange Building, 465 California Street in 1907. She worked there for the rest of her career.

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9. Her Reinforced Concrete Structure, El Campanil, Helped Built her Reputation and Launch her Career

El_campanil photo By Camila.gv9

El Campanil was the first reinforced concrete structure completed by Julia Morgan in April 1904. Two years after the construction of the 72-foot bell tower, the El Campanil, it survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake without any damage.

This made Julia popular which helped built her reputation and launch her career. It as well provided her with an opportunity to design several churches, offices, homes, and educational facilities among others.

10. Morgan’s Mother, Eliza Came From a Wealthy Family

Julia Morgan was the daughter of Charles Bill Morgan and Eliza Woodland Parmelee Morgan. Her mother Eliza came from a wealthy family, she was the daughter of Albert O. Parmelee, a millionaire, and a cotton trader.

Morgan’s Family depended on the Parmelee family financially especially when they moved to San Francisco. Julia’s father, Charles Bill, did not succeed in any of his business ventures being the reason his family depended on the Parmelee fortune.

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