Louise Blanchard Bethune (1856-1913) was the first professional woman architect in the United States. Bethune served a five-year apprenticeship in the Buffalo architectural firm of Richard A. Waite and F.W. Caulkins beginning in 1876 before setting up a firm with her husband, Robert Armour Bethune, in 1881. William L. Fuchs was invited to be a partner in the practice in 1890 and the name became Bethune, Bethune and Fuchs. Some of Louise Blanchard Bethune's most well-known designs built in Buffalo were public and commercial buildings, including the neoclassical Lafayette Hotel (1904), Lockport Union High School, the Elmwood Music Hall, the Louisiana Street Police Station, the Offermann Stadium grandstands, and 18 public schools or additions.
From the description of Bethune, Bethune & Fuchs frame dwelling drawings, April 1902. (Buffalo History Museum). WorldCat record id: 726168703
