ABSTRACT
Olive Tjaden (1904–1997) began her architecture career in the United States at a moment when residential architecture was at the nation’s forefront. Just four years before her graduation from Cornell University’s architecture program in 1925, the Commerce Department’s Division of Building and Housing was founded, as well as the non-profit advocacy organization Better Homes in America. Tjaden, who for years was the only female member of the American Institute of Architects, achieved her greatest success as a residential designer. Forming her own firm in the late 1920s, Tjaden was able to capitalize on her gender as a tactical advantage to designing homes. She promoted her work and expertise to women, making use of the networks provided by female-oriented social clubs. She was also strategic about her professional alliances. With the passage of the National Housing Act in 1934 to incentivize private real estate development, Tjaden positioned herself as the appointed loan inspector for the newly established Federal Housing Agency. Tjaden was a prolific designer, building over two thousand commissions in the twenty years of her New York office. Her work has made a substantial impact on the built fabric of Long Island’s residential communities, most notably in Garden City, NY.
