COLLECTION NAME:
Graduate Thesis Collection
Record
Title:
Mary Gannon and Alice Hands’ Lost Tenements: The Uphill Battle for their Revolutionary Tenement Design
Creator:
Laskin, Bethany Jean
Subject:
Thesis (M.F.A.) – Architectural History
Subject:
Savannah College of Art and Design -- Department of Architectural History
Rights:
Copyright is retained by the authors or artists of items in this collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Abstract:
“In 1894, Mary Nevan Gannon and Alice J. Hands became the first women in the United States to found an all-female architecture firm. While they worked on many projects together until the firm disbanded in 1900, the pinnacle of their careers was their creation of a new design for New York’s tenement buildings. Their design, which was largely met with acclaim from industry professionals, tenement reform activists, and the press, was supposed to secure them contracts to be built by several different investors across the city. It was a monumental accomplishment for the young firm, one that should have fueled their careers and secured them in New York’s architectural echelons. However, my research indicates that perhaps only one, if any, of their tenements was ever built. Meanwhile, other tenement architects continued to have success by winning competitions and having their designs built in the years following. For example, Ernest Flagg and James Ware, who, following their respective first and second victories in an 1896 competition, were both given multiple contracts for the construction of their model tenement plans, all of which were successfully built. There has been minimal research into why Gannon and Hands’ contract was never fulfilled and what external factors led to this disappointing result. This thesis seeks to answer these questions through a critical analysis of the events that occurred after they introduced their model tenement plan in 1894. Since previous researchers have not explored Gannon and Hands in a broader context, this thesis will utilize different types of documentation to ensure a thorough examination of both Gannon and Hands and the extenuating factors that affected their work. Examples of these sources include property ownership data, design contracts, sponsorship and investment records, and meeting minutes from the New York School of Applied Design for Women, where the two women studied architecture. The research conducted seeks to illuminate potential contributing factors such as economic forces, tenement construction practices, and sexism in a male-dominated field. Combined, these three issues will provide a comprehensive foundation for an analysis of the challenges Gannon and Hands faced and frame answers as to why Gannon and Hand’s model tenements never came to fruition in the way they, and their supporters, envisioned.” –Abstract
Keywords: female architect, tenement housing, tenement reform, newspaper, housing crisis, Mary Gannon, Alice Hands, architecture competition, New York City, Lord, Hewlett & Hull, James Ware, Ernest Flagg.
Keywords: female architect, tenement housing, tenement reform, newspaper, housing crisis, Mary Gannon, Alice Hands, architecture competition, New York City, Lord, Hewlett & Hull, James Ware, Ernest Flagg.
Publisher:
Savannah, Georgia : Savannah College of Art and Design
Date:
2024-03
Format:
1 online resource: 1 PDF (Thesis, 139 pages, color illustrations, plans)