Episode 33: Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter
Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter was born on April 4, 1869, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After a period of moving around the country, Mary's family finally settled in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Mary attended the California School of Design in Oakland, California - studying art and apprenticing at local architecture firms. After graduating from school in 1891, Mary and her family returned to Saint Paul- where Mary accepted a teaching position at Stout Manual Training School in the nearby town of Menomonie, Wisconsin. In 1895, Mary taught drawing back in Saint Paul at a very progressive school called Mechanic Arts High School. Under Mary's guidance, her students would win several awards and would showcase their artwork at famous venues like the World's Columbian Exposition and the Saint Louis World's Fair. From 1902 to 1948, Mary was the primary architect and designer for the Fred Harvey Company. During this time, she completed 21 hotels, novelty/souvenir shops, and rest areas all along the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway. Her designs would become icons of this design pedagogy and solidify what we know today as the American Southwest aesthetic. Some of the prominent features include accent red sandstone walls, log beams (also known as vigas), tiny windows, intimate courtyards, and rough boulder structures. Mary would be commissioned to build six buildings on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park. Mary was great - she retired to Santa Fe in 1948 and passed away ten years later.
Caryatid: Tamara Eagle Bull, FAIA
Tamara Eagle Bull FAIA is a member of the Oglala Lakota Nation and a firm owner/architect based out of Lincoln, Nebraska. Tamara is the FIRST NATIVE AMERICAN WOMAN ARCHITECT in the US! She is considered to be a recognized leader in the realm of Contemporary Native American Architecture. And she is an advocate for culturally relevant and responsible design.
Agora: Joel V.
Congratulations Joel for having your album cover artwork featured in Rollingstone Magazine, India!
References
Information:
“Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter.” Pioneering Women of American Architecture, pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/mary-elizabeth-jane-colter. Accessed 8 July 2021.
National Park Service. “Mary Colter and Her Buildings at Grand Canyon (U.S. National Park Service).” National Park Service, www.nps.gov/articles/marycolter.htm. Accessed 14 July 2021.
Tours, Christianson. “Mary Colter: The Architect Behind Your Favorite Buildings at the South Rim.” Grand Canyon Tours Christianson Tours, christiansontours.com/mary-colter-the-architect-behind-your-favorite-buildings-at-the-south-rim. Accessed 13 July 2021.
Images:
“Mary Colter and Her Buildings at Grand Canyon (U.S. National PARK SERVICE).” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, www.nps.gov/articles/marycolter.htm.
“Mary Colter's Hopi House.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, www.nps.gov/grca/learn/photosmultimedia/colter_hopih_photos.htm.
Correction: Friend and graphic designer to the show Joel, did not attend SF Art Institute - he attended the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. He still learned great things - hence why he is our talented graphic designer and this week’s agora.
