Architect. Born Effie Brooks Pope, she changed her name to Theodate Pope and used the name in her professional career even after her marriage in 1916. She had no formal training as an architect as no architecture programs admitted women at that time. Instead, she studied with private tutors and hired professional draftsmen to bring her architectural designs to fruition. She was the first woman to be a licensed architect in both New York (1916) and in Connecticut (1933) and was an elected member of the American Institute of Architects. She designed what is now the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, Connecticut, a building greatly admired by Theodore Roosevelt and was the founder and designer of Avon Old Farms School in Avon, Connecticut. Other notable works include the Westover school and the Hop Brook school, both in Connecticut. She was commissioned to design residences in Connecticut and New York and to reconstruct the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace in New York, now a National Historic Site maintained by the National Park Service. She was one of the survivors of the sinking of RMS Lusitania off the coast of Ireland on May 7, 1915. A year later, she married John Wallace Riddle, former American Ambassador to Russia.
Architect. Born Effie Brooks Pope, she changed her name to Theodate Pope and used the name in her professional career even after her marriage in 1916. She had no formal training as an architect as no architecture programs admitted women at that time. Instead, she studied with private tutors and hired professional draftsmen to bring her architectural designs to fruition. She was the first woman to be a licensed architect in both New York (1916) and in Connecticut (1933) and was an elected member of the American Institute of Architects. She designed what is now the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, Connecticut, a building greatly admired by Theodore Roosevelt and was the founder and designer of Avon Old Farms School in Avon, Connecticut. Other notable works include the Westover school and the Hop Brook school, both in Connecticut. She was commissioned to design residences in Connecticut and New York and to reconstruct the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace in New York, now a National Historic Site maintained by the National Park Service. She was one of the survivors of the sinking of RMS Lusitania off the coast of Ireland on May 7, 1915. A year later, she married John Wallace Riddle, former American Ambassador to Russia.
Bio by: Lisa R. Garrett
Gravesite Details
Birth year on gravestone is incorrect.
Family Members
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