A Sense of Place

from Agnes Scott College Alumnae Magazine

Agnes Scott graduates combine architectural acumen with the woman’s touch to create just the right space.

This is the story of four Agnes Scott women — separated by time, interests and geography — who have worked throughout their careers to create comfortable spaces for thousands of people.

Folding ironing boards, attention to the height of library shelves, resting places for the terminally ill and “do-able” plans for inner cities are signs of their common vision. While their work as architects is as varied as the women themselves, a single theme, hospes (the Latin root of “hospitality,” “hospice” and “hospital”), flows through the designs of these creatives who strive to provide appealing places for pilgrims on their journeys through life.

Creator of Comfortable Homes

Agnes Scott’s tradition of educating notable architects dates back to the early part of the 20th century. Leila Ross Wilburn, one of Atlanta’s best-known architects, was a master at producing “pattern books” and designs for urban apartment buildings. She is the only woman of the era known to choose pattern, or plan, books as her method of practice. Her specialty was bungalow homes, and many of her creations still survive in Atlanta and Decatur. She updated her style as the market demanded, designing ranch-style homes in the latter part of her career. Among her trademarks were little things that made life easier, such as built-in cupboards and folding ironing boards.

Born in Macon, Ga., in 1885, Wilburn moved with her family to Atlanta and attended Agnes Scott Institute from 1902 to 1904. She received private lessons in architectural drawing and apprenticed as a draftsperson with Atlanta architect B.R. Padgett. With no formal training, she opened her own architectural office in 1909.

According to a profile prepared by the Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Architecture, Wilburn was the 29th architect registered among 188 when Georgia first required licensing for architectural practice in 1920; she was one of only two women registered in Atlanta.

Wilburn published her first mail-order plan book, Southern Homes and Bungalows, in 1914, followed by Brick and Colonial Homes in 1922. Additional titles included Ideal Homes (1925), New Homes of Quality (1930), and Small Low-Cost Homes (1935). As her career progressed, she described herself as a “scientific designer of artistic bungalows.”

Born to Be an Architect

“Actually, I had no choice,” laughs Helen Davis Hatch ’65, when asked how she became an architect. Hatch, a principal at Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates in Atlanta, is the managing architect for the College’s new campus center and the renovated and expanded McCain Library.

Her mother was the first registered woman architect in Alabama, her father was also an architect, and both brothers followed the same path. “When I was a little girl, my father always took me to sites with him. When our family took trips, we went to construction sites.”

Initially a math major and teacher, Hatch eventually realized architecture was her calling. She earned a master’s from Harvard’s School of Design in 1973. “Agnes Scott is a wonderful campus with a remarkable architectural vocabulary already in place,” she says. “I’ve realized an incredible goal.”

Hatch is known for creating hospitality spaces like convention centers and hotels, including phase one of the Georgia World Congress Center. She believes women architects bring unique sensitivities. “I think it’s easier for us to relate to the students and their needs. For example, making sure the height of the stacks in the library is user-friendly—because women tend to be shorter than men.”

Even the specific carrel where she studied at Agnes Scott informed her work. “Architecture is a wonderful profession for a woman,” Hatch says. “We bring a new perspective, but when I started, less than 2 percent of architects were women.”

That number is improving. According to the AIA, women are the fastest-growing segment of membership since 1990, and the number of licensed female architects at U.S. firms has grown from 10 percent in 1996 to 13 percent by the year this article was published. Women now account for 12 percent of firm principals and partners.

“Invisible” Caregiver for the Dying

“‘Housing with a purpose’ is how Ila Burdette ’81, AIA, describes her work with Perkins and Will, a national firm headquartered in Atlanta. She focuses on supportive housing: hospices, retirement homes, assisted living facilities, and other multi-family dwellings.

Burdette, Georgia’s first female Rhodes Scholar and an Agnes Scott trustee, found her path to architecture during a career-shadowing program as a sophomore. She has since completed scores of projects, including Hope Lodge for cancer patients at Emory University.

Her most beloved project, though, is Hospice LaGrange, near her hometown of Hogansville, Ga. A winner of national awards, including the AIA Design for Aging Citation, the hospice reflects her deep ties to the community. “When you work at home, you really put yourself on the line,” she says. “But I’m very proud of my community.”

Burdette brings a liberal arts lens—drawing on courses in medieval and Renaissance studies—to hospice design. “Hospices have been around for centuries. They’re not just places of charity. They embody the blessings of both giving and receiving.”

Her goal is to create spaces that quietly support the dying. For the visually impaired, she incorporates bright lighting. For those with hearing loss, quiet zones. For those needing to rest, window seats with calming views. “The building invisibly makes up for the losses they are experiencing,” she says, “so they can focus on what they enjoy.”

The magic of architecture, Burdette says, is walking into a building she’s never seen in person but knowing every detail, “because I put it there.”

Helper of the Inner City

Revitalizing disadvantaged urban areas is the passion of Jill Owens ’89. Though she earned an M.Arch. from Washington University in St. Louis, she lasted only six months in a traditional firm. She found her calling in redevelopment, first in St. Louis and Memphis, and later at Development Concepts, a consulting firm in Indianapolis.

“I feel like I’m a cheerleader for central city redevelopment,” Owens says. “There are many development opportunities. I enjoy working with neighborhoods and giving them hope again.”

She helped unify a divided Durham, N.C., community through inclusive planning, ensuring all stakeholders could take ownership in the project. “People realized they weren’t at odds—they each had a piece of the project.”

Her current work involves redeveloping a historic army base near Indianapolis into a mixed-use community with office, residential, and town center space. Owens emphasizes creating a strong “sense of place” and empowering neighborhood residents. “We help them find a greater sense of responsibility—and a stronger voice.”