Florence Kenyon Hayden Rector facts for kids
Florence Kenyon Hayden Rector (born 1882, died 1973) was a super important architect! She was the very first woman to get an architecture license in Ohio. She started studying at Ohio State University in 1901. For many years, from 1900 to 1930, she was the only female architect working in central Ohio.
Even though she didn't finish her degree, Florence was a very successful architect. She was born in St. Louis and passed away in Columbus. She even taught architecture at Ohio State from 1905 to 1907!
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Designing Oxley Hall
Florence's first big project was designing the first dorm for women at Ohio State University. It was finished in 1908 and is called Oxley Hall.
- It's a three-story building made of brick.
- It has a cool octagonal (eight-sided) tower.
- The style is English Renaissance, with a Spanish tile roof and limestone details.
- It cost about $66,490 back then!
Florence had learned from Joseph Bradford, who was the university's architect. He was so impressed with her work that he told the university leaders she should design the new women's dorm. She was only 25 years old! She got the job, but they also gave her a male partner, Wilbur T. Mills.
In an interview years later, Florence said she got tired of Mills. She locked him out of the office and quickly finished the plans herself! So, the Oxley Hall we see today is mostly Florence's amazing design, even though both she and Mills are listed as the architects.
Students moved into Oxley Hall in September 1908. They voted on a name for their new home. The university leaders agreed, and on November 20, 1908, they officially named it after the mother of the university president, William Oxley Thompson.
Oxley Hall was a dorm until 1967. After that, it was used by a research group. It was updated in 1989, and since 1991, the Department of International Affairs has been located there.
Other Cool Buildings She Designed
In 1910, Florence married James M. Rector, who was a well-known doctor in Columbus. She kept working as an architect throughout her life. After getting married, she started designing buildings for medical use. She even became famous for these designs across the country! Early in her career, she helped her uncle, L. Howard Hayden, design the seating for Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Florence also designed an Arts and Crafts style house at 1277 East Broad Street in Columbus. She also designed her own home, built in 1926, at 878 Franklin Avenue in Columbus. She lived there until she passed away.
- Her own home was a long, narrow, two-and-a-half-story building with stucco walls.
- It looked modest from the street and had an interesting, uneven front.
- It combined different window styles, like French doors, small rectangular windows, and round-headed windows.
She also designed the Wolfe's Journal Island Cottage and a doctor's office building (which is no longer there) in Columbus. Plus, she designed several homes in the Woodland Park Neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio.
Fighting for Women's Rights
Florence was also very active in politics. She was a strong "suffragist," which means she fought for women to have the right to vote. In 1921, she was the Financial Chairwoman for the National Woman's Party.
Her Amazing Family
Florence came from a family of important people!
- Her sister, Dr. Gillette Hayden, was a groundbreaking dentist in the early 1900s. She even helped start the American Academy of Periodontology, which is a big group for dentists who specialize in gums.
- Florence's great-grandfather was Dr. Horace H. Hayden, who was also a dentist in the early 1800s. In 1840, he helped create the very first dental college in the world, the Baltimore School of Dental Surgery. Today, it's known as the Dental College of the University of Maryland.
