Architectural history is written by men about men–a new website is challenging this bias.
Think of the famous architects who are household names–the ones who get Simpsons cameos and blockbuster exhibitions at major museums. Notice anything? They’re probably all white men. While the architecture industry is mostly male, women have made remarkable contributions while facing structural hurdles that have held them back, one of which is how architectural history is recorded and passed down. (For example, Denise Scott Brown has not received a Pritzker Prize, but her husband, Robert Venturi, did, even though they worked side by side.) Pioneering Women of American Architecture, a new website, is taking a big step toward reversing the omissions that plague our history books.