Eleanor Manning O'Connor facts for kids

Eleanor Manning O'Connor (born June 27, 1884 – died July 12, 1973) was an American architect and teacher. She cared deeply about making sure everyone had a good, safe place to live. She worked hard to create public housing that felt like real homes.

Eleanor Manning O'Connor: An Architect for a Better World

Early Life and Education

Eleanor Manning O'Connor was born in 1884 in Lynn, Massachusetts. Her parents, Delia Josephine Grady and James Manning, had moved from Ireland. Her father was a building contractor.

Eleanor went to Lynn Classical High School. In 1906, she earned a special degree in architecture from MIT. Her final project was about designing a country house. During her last year, she was the president of Cleofan, a club at MIT for women students.

Building a Career in Architecture

Two years after finishing college, Eleanor started working as a draftsperson. She worked with Lois Lilley Howe, who was also an architect and an MIT graduate.

In 1912, Eleanor took a break to travel in Europe. She went with her friend and classmate, Eliza J. Newkirk Rogers. They painted watercolors of the beautiful buildings they saw.

She came back early to become a partner with Lois Howe. Their company was called Howe and Manning. It was one of the first architecture firms in America started by women. Later, it became Howe, Manning & Almy, Inc..

Their firm often worked on making old buildings new again. Eleanor even made up a word for it: "renovising." This meant renovating and modernizing buildings at the same time.

Designing Homes for Everyone

In the 1920s, Eleanor worked on a special project called the Village of Mariemont. This was a carefully planned community in Hamilton County, Ohio. She worked with Lois Howe and other architects on this project.

One of her most important projects was designing low-cost housing. This was for an Irish neighborhood in South Boston. The project was called the Old Harbor Housing Project. It was built between 1933 and 1938. Eleanor worked with a group of architects called the Seventeen Associated Architects.

The Old Harbor Housing Project was special. It had three-story apartments and two-story townhouses. It felt more like a real neighborhood than many other public housing projects. People said it had a "residential appeal." Eleanor was very focused on social issues. She made sure the buildings had good details, materials, and proportions. This made the project feel welcoming and appealing.

Because of her work, Eleanor served on many housing groups. She worked at the city, state, and national levels.

Eleanor as a Teacher

After World War I, Eleanor started teaching at Simmons College. She taught architecture and later, housing. She taught there for 50 years!

In the 1930s, she also taught at other colleges. These included Pine Manor Junior College, Chamberlain School for Retailing, and Garland College. She often gave talks about housing all over the New England area.

Working with Johnson O'Connor

In 1931, Eleanor Manning married Johnson O'Connor. He was a researcher and teacher who studied how people's minds work. He started the Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation.

At the foundation, Eleanor became a champion for women. She encouraged young women to go into fields like engineering, medicine, and science.

Eleanor Manning O'Connor passed away in Mexico in 1973. She was researching different Indian cultures at the time. She is buried next to her husband in Newport Beach, California. Her husband's son, Chadwell O'Connor, who was an engineer, survived her.

See also

In Spanish: Eleanor Manning O'Connor para niños