ABSTRACT
Often formed as the only viable way for a female architect to start her own practice, husband-wife architecture firms emerged in the 1920s and became more prevalent as more female architects entered the field. These partnerships were a crucial way for women to work in the profession without being refused employment because of their gender or being forced to leave the workforce to care for children; in fact, these partnerships often facilitated a balance between a career and family life.
This chapter seeks to better understand the dynamics of male-female and husband-wife relationships and architectural partnerships in mid-century America, closely considering the influence of the female partner and the expression (or lack thereof) in design, construction, and press coverage. Several partnerships from the 1920s through the 1960s are examined, even after partnerships and relationships dissolved and new firms and work emerged. Specific attention is paid to modernist partnerships within the celebrated movement, whose values of breaking with the past ironically did not extend to confronting conservative identifications of gender, and to those architects who were permitted to execute residential architecture as the expected specialization of women in design. Attention is also paid to how, despite the limited opportunities, these spaces and buildings were created.
