Episode 78: Ethel Bailey Furman
On July 6, 1893, Ethel Madison Bailey was born. Her father Madison J. Bailey was the second licensed black contractor in Richmond. Her father was really encouraging and supportive. He would take her to construction sites, and their family home also served as his office, so Ethel really had the opportunity to learn about materiality, techniques, and all things construction. She even got to do some drafting for him. Instead of going to school, Ethel trained in New York by apprenticing at firms for several years to learn more about architecture. In 1921, Ethel decided to move back to Virginia to practice. She started designing primarily private residences and a lot of the time she would also partner with her father as “the general contractor”.
In 1923, one of her early projects was the home of Lawerence Douglas Wilder. He would become the first black governor of a US State after the Reconstruction era. … she did this project with her Papa. (Sadly, listeners if you look below you will notice that Jessica couldn't find any images of this project.)
In the 1940s, while Ethel was in her 50s, she took classes at the Chicago Technical College to formally get her architecture certification.
On February 24, 1976, at the age of 83, Ethel passed away. Ten years after her death - there was a park named in her honor.
Caryatid: April Drake
April Drake, is an architect based out of Arlington, VA. She is a Senior Project Architect at the firm HDR. At HDR, April works on educational, government, and commercial projects. On the firm's website they gave this stat, April “has designed more than 500,000 square feet of public and private sector space, including local and national projects.” April is very active in her local AIA chapter, she also has served at AIA NOVA (North Virginia) Woman in Architecture Committee.
Agora: Muneerah A.
Congratulations to a friend of the show Muneerah A. for starting her own firm Maidan Collective. Based out of Kuwait, we are so excited to learn what cool projects come out of this group. be sure to check out their website maidancollective.com.
Listeners we want to continue to celebrate you! Kindly share your news big or small with us by emailing your accomplishments to shebuildspodcast@gmail.com. Let’s celebrate together!
References
Dictionary of Virginia Biography - Ethel Madison Bailey Carter Furman (6 July 1893-24 February 1976) Biography. www.lva.virginia.gov/public/dvb/bio.asp?b=Furman_Ethel_Bailey.
Ethel Bailey Furman · Virginia Changemakers. edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/items/show/167.
“Ethel Furman.” Ethel Furman, docomomo-us.org/designer/ethel-furman.
Kollatz, Harry, Jr. “What Ethel Built.” richmondmagazine.com, June 2018, richmondmagazine.com/home/special-addresses/ethel-bailey-furman-home.
“Pioneering Architects: Ethel Bailey Furman.” AIA, www.aia.org/articles/6380755-pioneering-architects-ethel-bailey-furman.
Reggev, Kate. “Hanging Her Shingle: Early Female Architects on Starting Their Own Firms — Madame Architect.” Madame Architect, Mar. 2021, www.madamearchitect.org/in-ink/2021/3/29/hanging-her-shingle-early-female-architects-on-starting-their-own-firms.
---. “‘That [Most] Exceptional One’: Early Black Female Architects — Madame Architect.” Madame Architect, Jan. 2021, www.madamearchitect.org/in-ink/2021/1/29/that-most-exceptional-one-early-black-female-architects.
