#wehrheim

Did you know that today only 23.3% of all American-based architects are women? Considering March is Women’s History Month when we commemorate the vital contributions made by women throughout U.S. history, I thought I’d highlight a pioneering Chicagoland woman architect who worked in this male-dominated field. Though she designed over 150 houses as an independent architect, Jean Wiersema Wehrheim’s career was cut short when she died at the age of 50 in September of 1977. Yet she left a lasting mark on a special community in the western suburbs.