Architect Julia Morgan Awarded AIA Gold Medal

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced today that Julia Morgan, designer of some 700 buildings including Hearst Castle, will be the first female architect to receive the organization's highest honor.

1 minute read

December 13, 2013, 7:00 AM PST

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


"The good news is that the AIA has, for the first time ever, awarded its Gold Medal, the profession’s highest honor, to a woman: Julia Morgan (1872-1957)," reports Karrie Jacobs. "While other Gold Medals have been handed out posthumously, they’re customarily bestowed much closer to the architect’s demise."

Though Morgan is certainly a worthy recipient, Jacobs suggests that "the timing of the prize may lead some critics to suggest that it has more to do with an architect who is still among the living: Denise Scott Brown, FAIA."

"Because there was such an uproar in June over the Pritzker Architecture Prize committee’s refusal to retroactively include Scott Brown in the award that her husband and collaborator, Robert Venturi, FAIA, won back in 1991, it may appear that the AIA felt compelled to honor a woman."

Thursday, December 12, 2013 in Architect

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight