Bertha Yerex Whitman facts for kids

Bertha Yerex Whitman (born 1892, died 1984) was an American architect. She made history as the first woman to earn an architecture degree from the University of Michigan. She worked as an architect for many years in Illinois, especially in the towns of Evanston and Glencoe.

Early Life and Education

Bertha Louise Yerex was born in Newaygo, Michigan, in 1892. She was one of three daughters. Her father worked as a train station master. In 1911, she got a teaching certificate from Eastern Michigan University. She taught at an elementary school for two years. Her aunt taught her how to design quilts. Bertha also loved math. These interests led her to take a course in mechanical drafting. This course helped her decide to become an architect.

Becoming an Architect

Bertha started at the University of Michigan College of Architecture and Design in 1914. She later remembered that the dean first told her she might not be welcome. But she enrolled anyway. While at the university, she helped start the T-Square Society. This was a club for women engineers and architects.

When America joined World War I, many of her male classmates joined the army. Bertha took a break from college to help with the war effort. She wanted to graduate with her classmates later. During her two years away from school, she worked in Detroit, Michigan. She was the first woman draughtsperson for the Dodge Brothers Company. After the war, she went back to her studies. In 1920, she became the college's first woman to graduate with an architecture degree.

In 1919, she married Lloyd E. Whitman. They had two children together, Suzanne and Charles.

Bertha Whitman's Career

Whitman moved to the Chicago area in 1921. At first, she found it hard to get a job in architecture offices. Even finding work as a draughtsperson was difficult. Eventually, she joined the firm of Perkins, Fellows, and Hamilton. Her drafting skills were very important there.

She got her Illinois architectural license in 1926. Then she started taking on her own projects, mostly designing homes. She settled in Evanston, Illinois. Over six decades, she designed more than 50 homes. She also designed apartment buildings, schools, and churches. She worked mostly around Evanston, Glencoe, and Chicago. But she also designed buildings in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

Challenges and Successes

The Great Depression years were tough for Whitman. Her husband's business failed, and he left in 1934. To better support her children, she took a job with the state of Illinois. She worked as a social worker. Within a few years, she moved to remodeling offices for government buildings.

Whitman also kept her own architecture business going at the same time. She worked closely with builders in the Evanston area. One of her designs won a local award. It was also shown in the women’s architecture display at the 1933 World’s Fair. Whitman liked house plans that used space well. She designed them for the needs of daily family life. She was proud that her buildings were strong and well-built.

Women in Architecture

In 1928, Whitman was one of nine women who started the Women's Architectural Club of Chicago. Juliet Peddle was also a founder. This club was active until the 1940s. Then it joined with the American Institute of Architects.

Whitman loved to travel and study different architectural styles from around the world. She visited countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia. In the 1960s, she wrote a book about her travels. It was called A Tyro Takes a Trip (1971).

Later in life, Whitman moved back to Michigan. She lived in Ann Arbor. She passed away in Cass City, Michigan, in 1984. Her important papers are kept at the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan. These papers include photos of the buildings she designed.