Phyllis Birkby facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Phyllis Birkby
|
|
|---|---|
Phyllis Birkby in a stained glass room of her design at 'the farm', a lesbian poet's retreat center.
|
|
| Born |
Noel Phyllis Birkby
December 16, 1932 Nutley, New Jersey, United States
|
| Died | April 13, 1994 (aged 61) Great Barrington, Massachusetts, United States
|
| Alma mater | University of North Carolina at Greensboro Cooper Union Yale University |
| Occupation | Architect |
Noel Phyllis Birkby (December 6, 1932 – April 13, 1994) was an American architect, feminist, filmmaker, and teacher. She is best known for starting the Women's School of Planning and Architecture.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Noel Phyllis Birkby was born in Nutley, New Jersey. As a child, she loved drawing cities and creating tiny 3D environments in her mother's garden. This showed her early interest in architecture.
When she was 16, she told a career counselor she wanted to be an architect. The counselor told her it was not a suitable job for women. Despite this, Phyllis was determined.
In 1950, Ms. Birkby started studying fine art at the Women's College of the University of North Carolina. She was very active in clubs and was known for challenging rules. In her senior year, she left college early after an incident.
After leaving college, she moved to New York City. She worked as a technical illustrator. In 1955, she traveled to Mexico to help with development projects.
A year later, an architect encouraged Ms. Birkby to study architecture professionally. In 1959, she enrolled in the architecture program at Cooper Union School of Architecture. She worked during the day and studied at night.
In 1963, Ms. Birkby earned her Certificate in Architecture from Cooper Union. She also received an award for her excellent service and leadership as a student.
Becoming an Architect
Ms. Birkby continued her studies at Yale School of Architecture. She studied under famous architects like Paul Rudolph and Charles W. Moore. At Yale, she was one of only six women in a department of about 200 men.
She felt she had to work extra hard to prove herself. In 1966, she earned her Master of Architecture degree from Yale University. Her main project was designing a physical education complex for Hofstra University.
On September 16, 1968, Ms. Birkby became a licensed architect in New York state. From 1966 to 1972, she worked for Davis Brody and Associates. She helped design many important projects.
These projects included Waterside Plaza, a new residential area in Manhattan. She also worked on a library for Long Island University and urban renewal projects in the South Bronx. Other projects included Amethyst House in Staten Island and a recreation center at Hampshire College.
Between 1968 and 1973, Ms. Birkby taught architectural design at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture. She taught hundreds of students, but only a few were women.
By 1973, Ms. Birkby was a recognized architect. However, she felt her professional life did not match her personal beliefs. She decided to focus more on her personal beliefs and opened her own private practice. She also traveled to Vietnam to work on a reconstruction plan for a university.
When she returned to New York, she taught architectural design at Pratt Institute School of Architecture (1974-1978), New York Institute of Technology, and City College of New York. In 1973, she helped edit a collection of essays about feminist ideas.
In the late 1970s, Ms. Birkby worked in California. She taught architecture and environmental design at several universities there. Throughout the 1970s, she also documented the Feminist Art Movement.
In the early 1980s, she returned to New York. She worked for Gruzen and Partners and architect Lloyd Goldfarb. She also taught building construction and design at New York Institute of Technology.
Ms. Birkby co-wrote essays about women-built environments with Leslie Kanes Weisman. She taught her students practical skills and encouraged them to think about how design affects people. She used methods like "bug listing" to identify problems in environments.
Activism and Architecture
Phyllis Birkby believed that architecture could be used to support women. She felt that many buildings were designed in ways that showed power over certain groups, especially women. She called this "patritecture."
She said that if the buildings we create don't reflect equal rights, then our words about equality are empty. Because of this, she started workshops. These workshops encouraged women to imagine and design spaces created by women, for women. She also studied traditional architecture made by women.
In 1971, Ms. Birkby became active in groups for women in architecture. She also started documenting the women's movement through film, photos, and collecting historical items.
In 1973, she began exploring feminist ideas in architecture and teaching. She led "environmental fantasy" workshops. These workshops encouraged women to imagine their perfect living spaces without any limits.
In 1974, a critic pointed out that only a very small percentage of architects in the American Institute of Architects were women. Ms. Birkby joined a group called "CR One." This group worked on activist projects, like creating a temporary home for women in East Village, Manhattan.
That same year, Ms. Birkby joined other women architects to create the Alliance of Women in Architecture in New York. They worked to challenge the small number of women in the profession.
The Women's School of Planning and Architecture (WSPA)
An architecture event in St. Louis, Missouri in 1974 inspired the creation of the Women's School of Planning and Architecture. The goal was to create a new educational place led by women, for women. It was meant to be a "free space" for students and teachers to grow.
Founded in 1974, the Women's School of Planning and Architecture (WSPA) was a non-profit organization. It offered different ways for women to learn about environmental and design fields. These included architecture, urban planning, housing, and construction.
The co-founders wanted to help women focus on shared goals that were not being met in regular professional settings. WSPA was a non-traditional program where everyone was equally responsible and could contribute. Any woman interested in the built environment could join, no matter her background.
Ms. Birkby described WSPA in an essay called "Herspace." This title built on the idea of "Herstory," which meant reclaiming and documenting women's place in history.
WSPA helped women grow personally, professionally, and socially. Two-week summer sessions were held at different colleges across the country. These included Saint Joseph's College of Maine (1975), Stevenson College (1976), Roger Williams College (1978), and Regis College (1979).
WSPA also hosted a national symposium in 1981 about community-based alternatives for women. The event focused on women in housing, employment, and economic development.
WSPA's programs focused on changing the design professions to include more women. Courses taught practical skills, like "Demystification of Tools in Relation to Design." Other courses encouraged women to think about bigger issues related to women in built environments. Childcare was provided for participants who brought children.
Even though WSPA was short-lived, it had lasting effects. Participants formed networks and continued to advocate for women in architecture and design.
Later Life and Legacy
As the feminist movement changed in the late 1970s, Ms. Birkby focused on teaching and feminist architecture studies. The Women's School of Planning and Architecture eventually closed. Ms. Birkby continued to teach architecture in New York.
She was also a member of the Organization of Lesbian and Gay Architects and Designers in New York (OLGAD). In 1992, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Friends who called themselves the "Sisters of Birkby" cared for her.
Phyllis Birkby passed away on April 13, 1994, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. A memorial for her in New York reads "Courage."
After her death, Smith College opened the Noel Phyllis Birkby Archive in 1997. This archive holds her work and documents. An exhibition celebrated her life and work.
Throughout the 1970s to 1990s, Ms. Birkby created many photographs, audio, and video recordings. She also made over 150 silent films about the women's movement and activism in New York City. Her films also documented her architecture, personal life, and travels. Her media is also kept at the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College.
Images for kids
-
Phyllis Birkby in a stained glass room of her design at 'the farm', a lesbian poet's retreat center.
See also
In Spanish: Phyllis Birkby para niños
