Olive Frances Tjaden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Olive Tjaden
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| Born | November 24, 1904 |
| Died | March 15, 1997 (aged 92) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Cornell University |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Spouse(s) | Carl G. Johnson Roswell Van Sickle |
| Practice | Gustav Erda, Thomas W. Lamb, & Harrison G. Weisman (1925-28) Olive Tjaden, Architect (principal) |
Olive Frances Tjaden (born November 24, 1904 – died March 15, 1997) was a very important woman architect. She was one of the first female architects of her time.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Olive Tjaden was born on November 24, 1904, in New Utrecht, New York. Her father, John G. Tjaden, was an engineer who designed buildings and bridges.
Olive finished Jamaica High School when she was only 15 years old. She wanted to study architecture at Columbia University, but they said she was too young. So, Olive waited a year. Then, she went to Cornell University's School of Architecture. Cornell had to accept women because it was a special kind of university.
Olive finished her five-year course in just four years! She graduated from Cornell University in 1925. She was 19 years old and earned a degree in architecture. Olive was the only woman studying architecture in her class.
Her Amazing Career
In 1929, when Olive was 24, she became the youngest registered architect in New York State. This meant she was officially allowed to design buildings.
In 1938, Olive Tjaden made history again. She was the first woman to join the Brooklyn Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. For many years, she was the only female member in this group.
Olive mostly designed homes. She was even chosen to design a house for the 1939 New York World's Fair. During her career, she designed more than 2,000 buildings!
Designing Homes for Families
A dean from Cornell University suggested Olive for a job at an architecture firm in Mineola, New York. There, she started designing "distinctive homes for people of moderate means." This means she created special homes that regular families could afford.
From the 1920s to the 1940s, Olive oversaw the design of over 400 homes. These homes were in the Garden City area of Long Island, New York.
Olive's designs often included fancy touches. For example, some homes had special breakfast rooms or grand, sweeping staircases. One of her most loved features was her use of stained glass windows. She even designed a colorful peacock door that was made in England.
Olive's homes were meant to sell for about $12,000. A historian named Millicent Vollono said, "She would sometimes do a whole block of homes using five or six kinds of styles. When you go through those neighborhoods now, the homes look different, but they all fit together."
A large house Olive designed in Woodmere, New York, was shown in "Good Housekeeping" magazine in 1935.
Her Home and Legacy
Olive Tjaden's own home in Garden City had a special weather vane. It showed a young woman holding a tool architects use, sitting on a T-square. This weather vane represented her career. Olive often had social events for women at her house. Her home also showed off her amazing work.
In 1943, Olive moved to Florida. She wanted to take advantage of the many new buildings being built there. In Florida, she stopped designing individual homes. Instead, she wrote for an architectural magazine and designed apartment complexes. She also helped lead the Museum of Fine Arts in Fort Lauderdale.
Personal Life and Lasting Impact
Olive Tjaden married Carl G. Johnson in 1945. He was from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Olive Tjaden passed away when she was 92 years old. She left most of her money, about $12 million, to Cornell University. In 1981, a building at Cornell was named "Olive Tjaden Hall" in her honor. This building is part of Cornell's College of Architecture, Art and Planning.
