Margaret Van Pelt Vilas facts for kids

Margaret Van Pelt Vilas (1905–1995) was an important architect who worked in New York City and New Haven, Connecticut. She started her career in the 1930s and continued working through the 1960s. In 1958, she opened her own architecture firm in New Haven. She also became very involved in connecting architects across North and South America through the AIA. Margaret Van Pelt Vilas passed away in 1995 when she was 90 years old.

Early Life and Education

Margaret Van Pelt was born in Ithaca, New York, on January 26, 1905. Her father, John Vredenburgh Van Pelt, was also a well-known architect and a professor.

She went to Vassar College and graduated in 1925 with high honors, earning a Phi Beta Kappa award. She then studied architecture, getting a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Columbia University in 1928. She continued her studies and received a Master of Architecture degree from MIT in 1930.

Her Work as an Architect

Margaret Van Pelt started her career working with her father in New York City from 1926 to 1930. After that, she traveled around Europe for a year in 1930. She was very impressed by how buildings in Germany used a lot of glass and metal.

When she returned, she worked for different architecture firms in New York City. She was a draftsman at Mayers, Murray & Phillip starting in 1933. Later, in 1936, she worked as a renderer for the firm of Aymar Embury II. From 1936 to 1942, she also worked for the Department of Public Works, helping with designs for hospitals and parks.

During World War II (1942-1945), Margaret took a special course at Yale University to learn about tool design. She then worked as a designer at M.B. Manufacturing Company in New Haven, Connecticut. This company made parts for airplanes during the war.

In 1946, she joined the office of Douglas Orr in Connecticut and stayed there for twelve years. In 1958, she bravely started her own architecture firm in New Haven. By 1962, she was a licensed architect in Connecticut, New York, and Rhode Island. She designed many different types of buildings, including homes, businesses, and schools, all across the United States.

International Connections

In the 1960s, Margaret became very active in the AIA. She worked to build connections between architects in different countries.

• In 1960, she was a delegate for the AIA at a big meeting of architects in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
• In 1961 and 1962, she led the AIA group at meetings in Lima, Peru, and São Paulo, Brazil.
• She continued to be involved in these international meetings until 1965.

Margaret Van Pelt Vilas was one of the few women architects working in the early 1930s. She once said in an interview in 1931, "I don't believe there is such a thing as a woman's point of view in architecture. There is architecture that is good and that is bad." This shows she believed good design was for everyone, no matter their gender.

Personal Life

Margaret Van Pelt married Charles Harrison Vilas in 1932. They got married at her parents' summer home in Patchogue, Long Island. Charles worked in the printing industry. They both loved sailing. Their daughter, Diana Van Pelt Vilas, was born in March 1939.

Margaret Van Pelt Vilas passed away in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1995, at the age of 90.

Notable Projects

Here are some of the projects Margaret Van Pelt Vilas worked on:

• Memorial Bench of Andrew Hasewell Green, Central Park, New York City
• Ground floor renovation of the Seaman's Church Institute, New York City (1959)
• Residence of Mrs. Ely Grlswold, Old Lyme, Connecticut (1961)
• Residence of John V. Van Pelt, Birmingham, Alabama (1961)

Awards and Honors

Margaret Van Pelt Vilas received several awards for her excellent work:

• Phi Beta Kappa, Vassar College, 1925
• Henry Adams Prize, Beaux Arts Institute of Design, 1928
• Warren Prize, Beaux Arts Institute of Design, 1930

See also

In Spanish: Margaret Van Pelt Vilas para niños