Julia Morgan - Architect. Visionary.
Sausalito Woman’s Club Architect Julia Morgan was a pivotal figure in American architecture.
She was a Bay Area native and a leader of the “First Bay Area Tradition” an architectural style that embraces many of the concepts fundamental to today's green movement in architecture, incorporating the concepts of sustainability, the use of local and natural materials, and integration with the surrounding landscape.
She practiced for nearly 50 years and designed more than 700 buildings, making her the most prolific architect of her time. More than 100 of these buildings were designed for women's organizations, including dozens of clubhouses for women. These spaces allowed women to take a more active role in public life.
Julia Morgan was the first woman to be:
Graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in civil engineering (1894)
Admitted to and graduated from the prestigious Ecole des Beaux-Arts architecture school in Paris (1898-1902)
Licensed to practice architecture in California (1904)
Honored with the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal Award (posthumously in 2014)
Morgan’s best-known commission was Hearst Castle on the Central Coast of California, a 28-year project for publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst that began in 1919.
