Presented as part of The Mercantile Library’s Allgood-McLean: Women You Should Know series by AIA Cincinnati’s CRAN and Women in Architecture.

Architectural historian Victoria Kastner will speak about her new book, Julia Morgan: An Intimate Biography of the Trailblazing Architect, which provides the first in-depth look at Morgan’s fascinating private life, as well as her remarkable career. In 1902, Julia Morgan became the first woman to graduate from the renowned architecture program at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1904 she became California’s first licensed female architect. And in 2014 the American Institute of Architects posthumously awarded her the Gold Medal, as its first female recipient. Best known as the designer of William Randolph Hearst’s lavish estate at San Simeon, on which she worked for nearly thirty years, Julia Morgan built an astonishing seven hundred additional projects throughout the west. Kastner will not only share new information about many of these buildings; she will also reveal her new discoveries about Julia Morgan’s inspiring personal life, which was as exceptional as her distinguished career.

About the Author:
Victoria Kastner was the official historian at Hearst Castle for nearly three decades. In addition to her new biography about its talented architect (Julia Morgan: An Intimate Biography of the Trailblazing Architect), she has also written three volumes chronicling its fascinating history: Hearst Castle: The Biography of a Country House; Hearst’s San Simeon: The Gardens and the Land; and Hearst Ranch: Family, Land, and Legacy. Ms. Kastner has a Master’s degree in Public History with a specialty in architectural history from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and a Master’s degree in Museum Management from George Washington University. She has also published works on the Beverly Hills Hotel, Bernard Maybeck’s Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, and the novels of Charles Dickens. https://victoriakastner.com/

October 10, 2024

6:00 pm reception/6:30 pm program

The Mercantile Library

414 Walnut Street, #1100, Cincinnati, OH