If we are to understand the role of women in the dynamic field of architecture, the best way to do it is to understand life and sexism. Sophia Bennet faced in her prime years. Yet she was able to leave an indelible impression in the minds of the people, about the work she did. However, she had a few builds that were significant enough to leave a mark in history.
Life of Sophia Hayden
Sophia was born in Santiago, Chile to a Chilean mother and an American father who was a dentist. When she was six her parents sent her to Boston, to live with her grandparents in Jamaica Plain and attend school. She was attending West Roxbury High School where she became interested in architecture hence, she got into MIT and graduated in 1890 as one of the first two female graduates with a Bachelor’s in architecture making history in America.
However, the society that is still getting ready to see the success of women was apprehensive of Bennet’s abilities. Even after earning a prestigious degree, she was unable to find a decent position at any local architecture firm hence she decided to take a job teaching mechanical drawing at the Eliot School in Boston.
Competition of a Lifetime
Within less than a year of working as a teacher, Bennet found a unique opportunity. It was the chance to design the Women’s Building, for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. After a lot of arguments and negotiation, the women’s rights group convinced the exposition directors to create a Board of Lady Managers and in February 1891 that board announced this competition open to only female architects. The competition’s $1000 commission was much less than what was being offered to the male architects for the design of other buildings. However, Sophia did submit an entry out of 13 proposed designs. Out of those it was her design that was innovative and struck out the most to the board members (one of the members of the board was Daniel Burnham). She traveled to Chicago to begin her work, to change the design into the construction plans as quickly as possible, as the construction was going to start in the summer of 1891 to be ready for the exposition in 1893 for the eyes of the public.
Aftermath
Despite being chosen as the winner, the Board of Lady Managers identified several perceived shortcomings and requested many changes. Further one of the board members decided to take control of the building’s interior design away from Bennet after she resisted some of the Board’s substantial proposed changes. Sophia was able to complete the work within a very tight schedule and the Women’s Building was formally introduced at the exposition’s October 21. 1892, dedication ceremony. Sadly, after that, it was reported that Sophia suffered from a nervous breakdown in Burnham’s office and she was confined to a “rest home” for months to recover.
Just in time in November of 1893, Sophia was discharged and was able to attend the exposition of the Women’s Building. After this mayhem, Sophia did not further design any building.
Later Period of her Life
In 1900, Hayden married a portrait painter and interior designer William Blackstone Benett. The couple had no children. William died of pneumonia on 11 April 1909. Although there are findings stating that Benett designed a memorial for women’s clubs in the U.S. in 1894, it was never built. She worked as an artist for years and lived a quiet life in Winthrop, Massachusetts. She also suffered the same fate as her husband and died of pneumonia in 1953 after suffering a stroke.
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