Eleanor Raymond and the Modern House: The Old Girls' Network

Eleanor Raymond  (1887-1989), was a pioneering architect and historian of architecture and design. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, she was an enthusiastic student at the first women's college of architecture, the Cambridge School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. She founded an all-women commune behind a very proper Beacon Hill facade. She collaborated on the first solar house in America, the Dover Sun House, built in Massachusetts in 1948. She designed what was likely the first modern house in New England. In fact, it's hard to find a 20th century architectural movement that she didn't investigate. Even when faced with sexism and homophobia, she found a way to access and bring her compatriots along. This story was produced by Brandi Howell for New Angle Voice, a podcast from the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation. Editorial assistance provided by Jen Grosso. Hosted by Alexandra Lange. Special thanks  to Doris Cole, Alice Friedman, Nancy Gruskin, Maryanne Hunting, Jessica Raymond, Sonya Falkovskaia, Anthony Denzer, and Andrew Nemethy.  Funding for this podcast comes from Allegion.   The Kitchen Sisters Present is produced by The Kitchen Sisters (Nikki Silva & Davia Nelson), with Nathan Dalton and Brandi Howell. The Kitchen Sisters Present is part of Radiotopia from PRX.