"Architecture’s Forgotten Figures: The Unconventional Life and Work of Ella Briggs"

Discover the remarkable story of Ella Briggs, a pioneering Viennese architect nearly lost to history. Trained by the Secessionists, she shaped global debates on modern living with an influential practice spanning Vienna, Berlin, London and New York. Though Nazi persecution forced her into exile and obscurity, historians recently reclaimed her groundbreaking legacy using innovative collaborative research.

Despina Stratigakos is a SUNY Distinguished Professor of Architecture at the University at Buffalo, who investigates how power, politics, and diversity intersect with design. Her work bridges academic scholarship and cultural intervention; in 2011, she partnered with Mattel to launch Architect Barbie to spark global conversations about gender equity in the field. Her 2016 book, Where Are the Women Architects?, served as a powerful indictment of a historically male-dominated profession. Most recently, her co-authored biography, Finding Ella Briggs, was named a Financial Times Best Book of the Year. She is currently a fellow at the National Humanities Center in Durham, NC.

This lecture takes place in Room A266 Bay 10 on the second floor of Smith Warehouse and is free and open to the public.