Bethune, Louise, 1856-1913

Louise Blanchard Bethune, FAIA, was the first woman to practice as a professional architect in the United States. She participated in the design of approximately 180 (known) buildings in the Buffalo and Western New York in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and she was the first woman member of the Western Association of Architects (W.A.A.), the American institute of Architects (A.I.A.) and the first woman to be honored as an A.I.A. Fellow. She was born in Waterloo, New York. Blanchard worked primarily in Buffalo, New York and partnered with her husband at Bethune, Bethune & Fuchs. Her biggest project was the Hotel Lafayette, including its expansion project, but she also worked on many other residential and commercial projects, including many public school buildings.