Alice Malhiot facts for kids
Alice Charlotte Malhiot (born August 13, 1889 – died June 10, 1968) was a very important Canadian woman. Many people believe she was the first Canadian woman to finish her studies at an architecture school. This means she learned how to design buildings!
Alice Malhiot's Early Life and Education
Alice Malhiot was born in eastern Ontario. Her father, Zephirin Malhiot, was a civil engineer, which means he designed and built things like roads, bridges, and buildings. Her mother was Domiltide "Tilly" Hart.
Alice was very interested in design and learning. In 1910, she earned a special diploma in architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design. This was a big achievement, especially for a woman at that time!
Starting Her Architecture Career
After finishing her studies, Alice came back to Calgary, a city in Canada. She started working at an architecture company called Lang & Major. She worked there until 1913, helping to design different buildings.
In 1911, Alice also started studying at the University of Alberta. It was thought that she was the first woman to graduate from a Canadian architecture school in 1914. However, it was later found that her degree was actually in "sanitary science," which is about public health and clean environments, not pure building design. Even so, her efforts in a male-dominated field were truly groundbreaking!
Working Through Challenges
The economy faced some tough times, and it became harder for Alice to find work as an architect. She took jobs as a clerk and then as a stenographer, which meant she would type out documents for others.
In 1917, Alice married Hugh Ross, who worked with lumber. She continued to use her design skills from her home in Duffield, Alberta. She would create designs for buildings that her husband's lumber business needed.
After her husband passed away in 1944, Alice kept working. She joined a construction company in Edmonton and focused on designing homes for families. She also went back to school at the Rhode Island School of Design to learn even more! She studied interior design (how to make the inside of buildings look good), landscape architecture (designing outdoor spaces), and town planning (how to design whole towns and cities).
Alice Charlotte Malhiot passed away in Edmonton when she was 78 years old. She left behind a legacy as a pioneering woman in a field that was just beginning to open its doors to women.
