Julia Morgan

Contributions and Distinctions

Morgan was the first woman to become a licensed architect in California, obtaining her license in 1904. She was also the first woman to be accepted into l'École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Morgan served as the main designer of the Hearst Greek Theater and Hearst Gymnasium, also helping to design Sather Gate and the Hearst Mining Building. Throughout her accomplished career, she designed over 700 buildings in California—most notably including Hearst Castle. Posthumously in 2014, Morgan became the first woman to receive the American Institute of Architect’s highest distinction, the Gold Medal award.

Biographical Sketch  

Julia Morgan (1872-1957) was born in San Francisco and grew up in Oakland. Morgan graduated from UC Berkeley in 1894 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. During her time at Berkeley, Morgan was part of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, and female organizations played a crucial part in her life as they later became major clients during her career. While there was no architecture degree offered at the time, Morgan was encouraged by Bernard Maybeck to study architecture at l'École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Upon her graduation from l'École in 1902, Morgan returned to the San Francisco area where she worked on numerous projects for the UC Berkeley campus. Later establishing her own independent firm, Morgan completed multiple sites for the Young Women’s Christian Association, Mills College’s bell tower—which withstood the 1906 San Francisco earthquake—and other residential buildings. In 1919, Morgan was hired to oversee the building of Hearst Castle, which she continued to work on for the next two and a half decades. Morgan was skilled in architectural styles distinct to California and is often regarded as the greatest female American architect.