Episode 75: Olive Frances Tjaden
On November 24, 1904, Olive Tjaden was born in New Utrecht, New York. Her father was John G. Tjaden, a structural engineer. Olive would graduate from Jamaica High School at the age of 15. Olive’s initial plan was to attend Columbia University to study architecture but they rejected her because she was too young. So Olive waited until she turned 16 to apply to attend Cornell University, which allowed 16-year-olds to attend. At the age of 19, in 1925 Olive graduated from Cornell with her Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture in FOUR YEARS instead of five. In 1926, Olive worked at the firm Richard T. Childs in Mineola, NY. Then two years later, in 1928, Olive started her own firm based out of Garden City, New York. In 1929, at the age of 24, Olive would receive her license, making her the youngest to do so in the state of New York. In 1938, Olive became the first woman to be admitted to the Brooklyn Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. For many years, Olive would be the only woman member. Olive’s specialty was residential design and her style was Neo - Tudor.
Her work was so amazing that she was invited to participate in the 1939 World's Fair held in New York.
In 1943 Olive moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. While living in Florida, Olive would design garden apartments, but she is most known for being the program director and board member for the Museum of Fine Art in Fort Lauderdale.
In 1981, Olive’s alma mater Cornell named the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning after her. On March 15th, 1997 at the age of 92, Olive passed away.
Caryatid: Dr. Renee Kemp - Rotan
Renee would be the first African American female to graduate From Syracuse University in 1975! Renee is both an urban designer and a master planner. Besides her degree from SU, Renee has attended the AA in London and has a Master of Science in Urban/ Regional Planning from Columbia University.
She has served TEN mayors as the Urban Policy Advisor in major U.S. cities, like Washington, New York City, and Atlanta, to name a few. Most recently, in Birmingham, where she was the Director of Grants and Special Projects. Renee also served as Director of Master Planning for Birmingham’s award-winning Railroad Reservation Park and the innovative Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail.
References
“The Brooklyn Daily Eagle 29 Mar 1936, Page Page 11.” Brooklyn Public Library Archive, bklyn.newspapers.com/image/52659023.
Cornell University. “Making Their Mark: Cornell Women Through the Ages - Cornell University - Medium.” Medium, 8 Dec. 2021, medium.com/cornell-university/making-their-mark-cornell-women-through-the-ages-2237078b13ea.
Dig, Florida’s Big. “Olive Tjaden (Van Sickle) — Women’s History Month.” Florida’s Big Dig, 27 Feb. 2016, floridasbigdig.me/2016/02/20/olive-tjaden-van-sickle-in-honor-of-womens-history-month.
“Olive Tjaden: Garden City Trailblazer - Issuu.” Issuu, issuu.com/litmorpublishingcorp/docs/guide_to_gc_2022/s/17379269.
Olive Tjaden, Pioneering Architect Who Designed More Than 400 Garden City, L.I., Homes, Dies at 92 | Cornell Chronicle. 1 Apr. 1997, web.archive.org/web/20180309120223/http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/1997/04/olive-tjaden-pioneering-architect-who-designed-more-400-garden-city-li-homes-dies-92.
Olive Tjaden Residence - Wikimapia. wikimapia.org/35771022/Olive-Tjaden-Residence.
PeoplePill. “Olive Tjaden: (N/A - 1997) | Biography, Facts, Information, Career, Wiki, Life.” peoplepill.com, peoplepill.com/people/olive-tjaden.
