Josephine Wright Chapman

Who was Josephine Wright Chapman?

Josephine Wright Chapman was an American architect in Boston, Massachusetts, and New York. Chapman received no formal education or encouragement from her family to pursue architecture. She is considered one of the most important female architects around the start of the 20th century.

Chapman was raised in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. She would leave home and pawn jewelry and clothing to support herself. In 1892 she was able to convince Clarence Blackall to let her apprentice under him. Through Blackall she learned about public building design and how to experiment with new materials. In 1893, the firm designed the first steel-frame building, the Carter Building in Boston. Chapman would go on to set up her own firm in Boston, in Grundmann Studios, a women's art collective, in 1897. Upon forming her firm, Chapman was commissioned by Harvard University to design their Craigie Arms dormitory. While working on that project she also designed St. Mark's Episcopal in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. By the start of the 20th century, Chapman had six drafters, including one woman, at her firm.

After 1901, she applied to join the American Institute of Architects and the Boston Architectural Club. Both refused to admit her. In 1907 she was accepted by the New York Society of Architects, after relocating to New York City. There, she opened a firm at Washington Square Park, focusing on residential design. Around 1909 she "reign[ed] supreme as the only woman architect in the Hub."