Mary Rockwell Hook facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Rockwell Hook
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| Born | September 8, 1877 |
| Died | September 8, 1978 (aged 101) |
| Nationality | United States |
| Alma mater | Wellesley College Art Institute of Chicago Atelier Auburtin at the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Practice | Mary Rockwell, Mary Rockwell Hook, Hook and Remington |
| Projects | Pine Mountain Settlement School |
Mary Rockwell Hook (born September 8, 1877 – died September 8, 1978) was an American architect. She was a pioneer for women in the field of architecture. She mainly worked from Kansas City, Missouri. However, she designed buildings all over the United States.
Mary Rockwell Hook was a very successful designer. She is remembered for her important contributions to architecture. Between 1910 and 1930, only five women worked as architects in the Kansas City area. Mary Rockwell Hook was the only one to become widely known for her work.
Contents
About Mary Rockwell Hook
Her Early Life
Mary was born in Junction City, Kansas on September 8, 1877. She was the third of five daughters. Her father, Bertrand Rockwell, was a successful businessman. Her mother, Julia Marshall Snyder, was very active in their church. In 1906, Mary's family moved to Kansas City, Missouri.
In 1921, Mary Rockwell married Inghram D. Hook, who was a lawyer. They adopted two boys, Eugene and Edward. Mary Rockwell Hook passed away on her 101st birthday.
Her Education
Mary Rockwell graduated from Wellesley College in 1900. She decided to become an architect after a family trip in 1902. She wanted to improve the design of government buildings abroad.
In 1903, she started studying architecture at the Art Institute of Chicago. She was the only woman in her class.
Facing Challenges as a Woman Architect
In 1905, Mary Rockwell went to Paris to study architecture. She wanted to get into a famous school called the École des Beaux-Arts. As a female student, she faced unfair treatment because of her gender.
After her entrance exams, some male students tried to throw water on her. She did not pass the exam and did not try again. Instead, she explored French architecture by bicycle with her sister. A newspaper later wrote that male architects were "openly against women joining the profession" at that time.
The challenges continued when she looked for her first job. One firm rejected her because she was a woman. However, the next firm hired her. Her father did not allow her to be paid for this first job.
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) first refused to let her join because she was a woman. But on her 100th birthday in 1977, the AIA honored her for her great work. People in Kansas City celebrated by visiting the famous homes she had designed.
Her Career and Impact
Designing Pine Mountain Settlement School
Around 1913, Mary Rockwell Hook was asked to design the campus for the Pine Mountain Settlement School. This school was being built in the Appalachian Mountains. Mary had already designed several successful houses.
She studied the area carefully. She decided that lower lands should be used for farming to feed the students. Steeper lands would be used for buildings. Public buildings would be in the center, and cottages would be along the edges of the valley.
Mary worked with local materials like chestnut, poplar, oak, and boulders. Her first project was fixing up an old log cabin. She also designed a log house for the school's founder. She stayed involved with the school as a board member until she was over 90 years old. Today, the Pine Mountain Settlement School is a National Historic Landmark.
Buildings at Pine Mountain School
- Science Building with Printshop and Workshop (Undated)
- "Open House" for Mary Rockwell, Ethel McCullough, and Margaret Butler (Undated)
- Old Log House Restoration (1914)
- Miss Pettit's House (1914)
- Laurel House (1914)
- Office (1919)
- Chapel (1922-24)
- Replacement of Laurel House after a fire (1940)
Hook and Remington Firm
In 1923, Mary Rockwell Hook returned to Kansas City. She started an architecture firm called Hook and Remington with Eric Douglas Macwilliam Remington. They worked together until 1932.
Ideas for the White House
Even when she became blind later in life, Mary Rockwell Hook kept imagining designs. She offered ideas to change the White House and other buildings.
Her Architectural Style
Kansas City Designs
Mary Rockwell Hook's designs in Kansas City started around 1908. Her most famous work was done in the 1920s and 1930s. Many of her designs in the Sunset Hills area showed styles she saw during childhood trips to Europe and East Asia.
She often used a style called Italianate architecture. This meant combining brick, stone, and old materials with tiles, frescoes, and leaded glass. Her own home, which she designed in 1925, is a great example of an Italianate house. Nine of her works in Kansas City are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Works in Kansas City on the National Register
- House at 54 E. 53rd Terrace, 54 E. 53rd Terr., Kansas City, Missouri, 1908
- Bertrand Rockwell House, 1004 W. 52nd St., Kansas City, Missouri, 1908–09
- Emily Rockwell Love House, 5029 Sunset Dr., Kansas City, Missouri, 1915
- Robert Ostertag House, 5030 Summit St., Kansas City, Missouri, 1922
- "Pink House", 5012 Summit St., Kansas City, Missouri, 1922
- House at 5011 Sunset Drive, 5011 Sunset Dr., Kansas City, Missouri, 1922–23
- Floyd Jacobs House, 5050 Sunset Dr., Kansas City, Missouri, 1925
- Mary Rockwell Hook House, 4940 Summit St., Kansas City, Missouri, 1925–27
- Four Gates Farm / Marvin Gates Residence, at 13001 Little Blue Road, RFD #3, Kansas City, Missouri, 1925–27
Many of Mary's early houses were designed for her family members. Later, she also received many requests from other people.
California Designs
Mary's family traveled a lot for her sisters' education. Her father also sought a mild climate in California for his health. Around 1908, Mary built a house for her sister Florence and her husband in Santa Rosa, California. This house is now known as the Wasserman House.
In 1926, she designed a large French mansion called "Le Soleil" in Woodside, California. This was during the peak of her career. The design of "Le Soleil" was a team effort by three Rockwell sisters. Mary and her partner were the architects. Her sister Katherine designed the inside and the gardens. Her sister Bertha, an artist, painted murals. This estate had many formal rooms, seven bedrooms, and a garage for nine cars.
Works in California
- James and Florence Edwards House, 930 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa (1908), also known as the Wasserman House.
- Francis and Katherine Crosby House "Le Soleil", 320 Harcross Road, Woodside (1926).
Siesta Key, Florida Designs
In 1935, Mary Rockwell Hook bought 55 acres (220,000 m2) of land on Siesta Key, Florida. She developed part of this area with her own designs. In a place called Whispering Sands, she designed a resort hotel and vacation homes. These were meant to be a quiet place for writers and artists.
She also planned a neighborhood called Sandy Hook for architects. In 1952, Hook developed another area called Sandy Cove. She designed her own octagon-shaped home there. She spent the last years of her life in this unique house.
Works on Siesta Key
- Whispering Sands: Resort Hotel, Glass House for guests, two vacation houses, house for her family (1936 and later)
- Whispering Sands: House for Hook's son Dick and his family (1945)
- Sandy Hook: House by Hook for herself and her husband (1945)
- Sandy Hook: Plans for a small architectural school (never built) (1945)
- Sandy Hook: Houses designed by other architects, mostly from the Sarasota School of Architecture (like Paul Rudolph) (1945)
- Sandy Cove: 12-acre development with 113 homes (1952 and later)
- Two winter cottages off Ocean Boulevard (1952 and later)
- Hook's own octagon-shaped home where she died (1952 and later)
Architectural Innovations
Using Natural Surroundings
Mary Rockwell Hook was the first architect in Kansas City to include natural features in her designs. When she continued this style on Siesta Key, Florida, a local newspaper said she was "bringing the outdoors in." She did this long before it became popular.
Solar Energy Use
In Siesta Key, Mary Hook used solar power to heat water for her resort hotel, Whispering Sands. She did this as early as 1937. This was very advanced for her time.
Other Firsts
Mary Rockwell Hook was the first architect in Kansas City to use cast-in-place concrete walls. One of her house designs was also the first in Kansas City to have a private swimming pool. Another was the first to have an attached garage.
She also used recycled materials in her designs. For example, she used marble tiles saved from an old hotel.
See also
In Spanish: Mary Rockwell Hook para niños
