Page:The part taken by women in American history.djvu/828

Rh Classic Architecture. Among some of her important commissions was one for the designing of the International Club House, known as the Queen Isabella Pavilion, at the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, in 1893. She was among the first women to enter the field of architecture and some of the homes in the suburbs of Philadelphia attest to her ability and talent in this line. In December, 1899, she married Rev. William J. Nichols, a Unitarian clergyman.

Mrs. Bethune was born in Waterloo, New York, in 1856. Her mother's family came to Massachusetts in 1640. Her father's ancestors were Huguenot refugees. In 1874 Miss Blanchard graduated from the Buffalo High School, and her attention having been attracted to the study of architecture, she soon took this up seriously. She traveled and studied and taught for two years, before taking the architectural course in Cornell University. In 1876 the offer of a position as draftsman made her relinquish her intention of college study, as she found a most valuable library in her employer's office which was at her service. In 1881 she was able to open her own office and thus became the first woman architect in the United States. The partnership formed with Robert A. Bethune resulted in her marriage to him, and they have continued their work together, having erected many public buildings in Buffalo and other cities. She is a member of the Western Association of Architects, and is the only woman member of the American Institute of Architects. In 1886 she organized the Buffalo Society of Architects, out of which has grown the Western New York Association. She and her husband were very active in securing the passage of the Architects' Licensing Bill, which was intended to enforce a rigid preliminary examination and