Julia Morgan at Asilomar Conference Center

Portrait of Julia Morgan

Wikimedia Commons

Julia Morgan (1872-1956) designed the Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove, California. She was the first woman licensed as an architect in California. She faced discrimination as a woman in a mostly male field. One of the most famous architects of the era said that he could pay her "almost nothing," just because she was a woman.

The bias she faced might explain why most of the 800 buildings she designed were for women's organizations. The Asilomar Conference Center was the YWCA’s Western headquarters.

Merrill Hall, Asilomar Conference Center

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The Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove, California became a National Historic Landmark in 1987.

This page is part of Women's History Illuminated, the National Historic Landmarks Program's Junior Ranger Program

Explore women's history across the U.S. through National Historic Landmarks!