The Cambridge Historical Society is closely monitoring the recent outbreak of COVID-19. We continue to evaluate all measures in response to available information from the Cambridge Public Health Department and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Any changes to our event schedule will be communicated via our website, email, and social media. If you have further questions about our response, please get in touch with us: info@historycambridge.org or 617-547-4252.
Join us for two events celebrating
the life and architecture of Lois Lilley Howe
Lois Lilley Howe (1864-1964), born and bred in Cambridge, was one of the first women to graduate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s architectural program, the organizer of the only all-woman architectural firm in Boston in the early twentieth century, and the first woman elected as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. With partners Eleanor Manning and Mary Almy, the firm of Howe, Manning & Almy, Inc. completed more than 500 projects over 43 years of practice. Many of these buildings are still standing today, including in Cambridge.
Howe retired from architecture at age seventy-three, but remained active in Cambridge through the Cambridge Plant Club, the Old Cambridge Shakespeare Association, and as a Vice President of the Cambridge Historical Society. Help us celebrate her remarkable life and career as part of our year asking, “Who Are Cambridge Women?”
Friday, May 1, 2020
6-8 PM
111 Coolidge Hill
Hors d’oeuvres and libations will be served
$250
An intimate evening hosted by Chris & Len Bierbrier at a home designed by Howe’s firm. With special presentations by Sarah Lawson, S+H Construction, and Charles Sullivan, Cambridge Historical Commission, who will be speaking about the architectural legacy of Howe and the role of women in male-dominated building professions.
***Space is extremely limited***
Saturday, May 2, 2020
2-4 PM
15 Raymond Street & 4 Gray Gardens West
Light refreshments will be served
$75
Visit two Howe-designed homes and hear presentations from Doris Cole, author of The Lady Architects: Lois Lilley Howe, Eleanor Manning, and Mary Almy 1893–1937 and Larry Nathanson, author of “Lois Lilley Howe: Pioneer Woman Architect, Cambridge Citizen.” Generously hosted by David Elmer & Bonnie Talbert, and Tom & Vivian Klein.
Tickets
Friday reception $250 Limited tickets available
Saturday Open Houses $75
Combo ticket $300*
*Includes a FREE copy of A Home of Her Own: The Architecture of Lois Lilley Howe, a commemorative book being published for this event by the Cambridge Historical Society (a $20 value). Additional copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event.
Space is extremely limited for these special events. Please reserve your tickets now!
Tickets can also be reserved by contacting Marieke Van Damme, Executive Director, at mvandamme@historycambridge.org / 617-547-4252 / 159 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
After registration, you will be emailed further details about the events.
Brush up on your Lois Lilley Howe history:
- Lois Lilley Howe by Elizabeth W. Reinhardt
- Lois Lilley Howe Photographic Collection (1884-1912)
- The History of Garden Street by Lois Lilley Howe
