Preserving Minerva: (Re)Discovering the Work of Architect Minerva Parker Nichols

The architect of Cranaleith’s main house, Minerva Parker Nichols (1862–1949), was the first woman in the United States to practice architecture independently. In nearly seven decades of work, she earned hundreds of mentions in newspapers around the world and dozens of commissions nationwide. Yet, only a handful of her drawings survives, and she is rarely included in the story of Philadelphia’s built environment or broader historical assessments.

Architectural historian Molly Lester will share Minerva’s story based on over a decade of (ongoing) research, which culminated in a major exhibition at the University of Pennsylvania in 2023 and a new book, out this spring. She will give a talk about Minerva’s life and work, and then lead a tour through the main house, which Minerva designed in 1890 for Rachel Foster Avery.