October 11 to November 3, 2023
Panel Discussion Wednesday, October 11th with reception to follow
The UMass Design Building Gallery is pleased to present Minerva Parker Nichols: The Search for a Forgotten Architect. The exhibition tells the story of Minerva Parker Nichols (1862-1949), the first woman in the country to practice architecture independently, with an office in Philadelphia and commissions nationwide. The exhibition reflects more than a decade of research by Penn graduate Molly Lester and recent work by Elizabeth Felicella, who is photographing surviving buildings by Minerva, thus creating an archive in the absence of one.
Working during the suffrage movement, Minerva had many clients who were women. Her commissions included dozens of private residences, large and small, the New Century Clubs of Philadelphia and Wilmington, as well as the unbuilt Queen Isabella Association Pavilion at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. The opening of her Philadelphia office in 1888 drew the attention of the Philadelphia press, and her death in 1949 warranted a headlined obituary in The New York Times. She supervised all her own construction, declaring “I don’t mind walking over scaffolding, but I draw the line on ladders.”
DESIGN BUILDING GALLERY
University of Massachusetts
John W Olver Design Building #180
551 North Pleasant Street
Amherst MA
Hours: Monday – Friday 9AM to 4PM
Closed on school holidays