Association for Women in Architecture and Design
A Los Angeles-based nonprofit professional association supporting women and allies in architecture, design, engineering, planning, construction, and related creative fields.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Association for Women in Architecture + Design is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit professional association focused on advancing and supporting women working or studying in architecture and related design disciplines. Its activities center on educational programming, professional networking, mentoring, community building, and the visibility of women’s contributions to the built environment and creative practice. The organization serves a broad constituency that can include architects, interior designers, landscape architects, engineers, urban planners, contractors, artists, designers, students, and others concerned with women’s participation and advancement in the profession. The association’s institutional history reaches back to 1915, when four women architecture students at Washington University in St. Louis—Helen Milius, Henrietta May Steinmesch, Jane Pelton, and Angela Burdeau—formed a separate architectural sorority after being excluded from a male architectural fraternity. Their organization, initially called La Confrerie Alongine, later became Alpha Alpha Gamma. On January 28, 1922, Alpha Alpha Gamma was established as a national sorority for women architectural students. The group subsequently developed additional chapters and, beginning in 1924, professional chapters for graduates. In 1948, at a convention in San Francisco, Alpha Alpha Gamma voted to identify its professional chapters as the Association for Women in Architecture and Allied Arts. The broader name reflected an expanding professional remit that included architecture, interior design, engineering, and other artistic and design fields. By 1950, the organization reportedly had approximately twenty student and professional chapters in the United States. It also published a newsletter titled Keystone and organized a national annual convention. The demands of maintaining a national structure, including the convention and publication, led to the dissolution of the national organization in 1964. Local university and city chapters nevertheless continued operating independently. The Los Angeles chapter became the surviving local continuation of the Association for Women in Architecture and eventually operated as AWA-LA. In 1975, the Los Angeles organization broadened membership to include people who supported women’s advancement, including men. The change from “of women” to “for women” reflected this more inclusive support model rather than a limitation of participation to women alone. In 2012, the organization adopted the name Association for Women in Architecture + Design to represent an even wider range of professional and educational fields. Today, the association is best understood as a mission-led professional network rather than a conventional consumer brand. Its value lies in events, knowledge sharing, mentorship, peer relationships, and advocacy for more equitable participation in the built-environment professions. The organization’s historical records are held by the International Archive of Women in Architecture at Virginia Tech University Libraries, preserving documentation of the wider movement and its chapters.
History
The association’s roots lie in the exclusion of women from professional architectural institutions in the early twentieth century. In 1915, Helen Milius, Henrietta May Steinmesch, Jane Pelton, and Angela Burdeau, all women architecture students at Washington University in St. Louis, created an alternative organization after they were refused admission to a male architectural fraternity. Their first organization was known as La Confrerie Alongine and later became Alpha Alpha Gamma. The name Alpha Alpha Gamma was associated with a phrase expressing the advancement of architecture among women. Alpha Alpha Gamma developed as a collegiate organization and established additional chapters. On January 28, 1922, it became an officially organized national sorority supporting women architectural students. From 1924 onward, the organization also created professional chapters for graduates, extending its role beyond student life into professional networking and support. At a 1948 convention in San Francisco, Alpha Alpha Gamma adopted the name Association for Women in Architecture and Allied Arts for its professional chapters. The revised identity reflected a wider understanding of the fields in which women were working, including architecture, interior design, engineering, and artistic disciplines. The organization reached approximately twenty professional and student chapters by 1950. Its national activities included an annual convention and the publication of a newsletter called Keystone. The national structure was dissolved in 1964, in part because of the continuing administrative burden associated with the convention and newsletter. The end of the national body did not eliminate the movement’s local presence: student and professional chapters continued to function in universities and cities across the country. The Los Angeles chapter eventually became the sole surviving continuation of the Association for Women in Architecture and operated under the name AWA-LA. In 1975, AWA-LA expanded membership to include people who supported women in the profession, including men. This change prompted a shift from “Association of Women in Architecture” to “Association for Women in Architecture,” signaling that the organization’s purpose was advocacy and support for women rather than an exclusive membership rule. The Los Angeles organization later broadened its disciplinary scope. In 2012, it adopted the name Association for Women in Architecture + Design, encompassing architects, contractors, interior designers, engineers, urban planners, designers, artists, and students in related fields. The contemporary organization operates as a Los Angeles-based nonprofit professional association. Its mission is pursued through education, networking, mentoring, and the creation of professional community. Its historical importance is also documented through archival holdings at Virginia Tech University’s International Archive of Women in Architecture. The organization’s legacy includes a networked tradition of collegiate and professional chapters, publications, conventions, and local initiatives intended to improve women’s access to opportunity and recognition in the built environment.
- 2012
Adoption of the Association for Women in Architecture + Design name
[1]The Los Angeles organization adopted its current name to encompass a wider range of architecture, design, construction, engineering, planning, artistic, and student communities.
- 1975
AWA-LA broadens membership
[1]The Los Angeles chapter expanded membership to include supporters of women in the profession, including men, and shifted from “of women” to “for women.”
- 1964
National organization dissolves
[1]The national organization dissolved amid the administrative demands of maintaining its convention and newsletter, while local chapters continued.
- 1950
National network reaches approximately twenty chapters
[1]The organization had about twenty student and professional chapters across the United States and maintained a newsletter and annual convention.
- 1948
Professional chapters adopt a broader association name
[1]At a San Francisco convention, the professional chapters adopted the name Association for Women in Architecture and Allied Arts.
- 1924
Professional chapters introduced
[1]Alpha Alpha Gamma began establishing professional chapters for graduates in architecture and related fields.
- 1922
Alpha Alpha Gamma becomes national
[1]On January 28, Alpha Alpha Gamma was formally established as a national sorority supporting women architectural students.
- 1915
Formation of the predecessor organization
[1]Four women architecture students at Washington University in St. Louis formed La Confrerie Alongine after being excluded from a male architectural fraternity.
Products and positioning
A nonprofit, member-oriented professional network that promotes women’s participation, leadership, recognition, and career development across architecture, design, engineering, planning, construction, and related creative disciplines.
Professional development
Educational programming
Educational activities intended to support learning, professional growth, and exchange across architecture and related design fields. The available reference material identifies education as a central part of the association’s mission but does not specify a complete catalog of current programs.
Member services
Networking and mentoring
Networking and mentoring are core association services designed to connect students, practitioners, and supporters across architecture, design, engineering, planning, construction, and related disciplines. Specific current formats and schedules are not established in the supplied sources.
Publication
Keystone
Keystone was the newsletter associated with the historical national organization. It formed part of the group’s communications and community-building work before the national organization dissolved in 1964.
Brand decisions
2012
Adopt the Association for Women in Architecture + Design nameStrategyBackground
The organization wanted its identity to represent a broader range of built-environment and creative disciplines.
Action taken
The Los Angeles organization changed its name to Association for Women in Architecture + Design.
Aftermath
The name formally encompassed architecture, design, construction, engineering, urban planning, art, and students in related fields.
1975
Change from “of women” to “for women”StrategyBackground
The Los Angeles chapter sought to include people who supported women’s advancement, rather than limiting participation to women.
Action taken
AWA-LA broadened membership and adopted the “for women” formulation.
Aftermath
The wording positioned the organization as an inclusive support and advocacy association while retaining its focus on women’s advancement.
1948
Broaden professional identity to architecture and allied artsStrategyBackground
The predecessor organization was expanding beyond a narrowly collegiate architectural context into professional support for several design and artistic disciplines.
Action taken
Professional chapters adopted the name Association for Women in Architecture and Allied Arts.
Aftermath
The revised identity reflected participation by women in architecture, interior design, engineering, and related arts.
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