Records of Howe, Manning & Almy, Inc. and the papers of Lois Lilley Howe, Eleanor Manning O'Connor, and Mary Almy

Howe, Manning & Almy, Inc. was an American architectural firm in Boston, Massachusetts that was formed in 1926 by three women, all graduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It was one of the first architectural firms founded by women in the United States. Lois Lilley Howe began her own firm in 1900. She partnered with another MIT alum, Eleanor Manning O'Connor, in 1913, creating the firm of Lois Lilley, Howe & Manning. Mary Almy joined the firm in 1926 and the name became Howe, Manning & Almy, Inc. In 1937 the firm dissolved after Howe retired, and Manning and Almy began their own practices.

Though the firm designed some commercial and government projects, it specialized in domestic architecture. Howe, Manning, and Almy were Revivalists and their designs often mimicked Tudor, Georgian, and American Colonial styles.

Lois Liley Howe was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Howe studied at the Museum of Fine Arts School from 1882-1886. She later studied architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Howe graduated in 1890. In a class of only 66 students, she was the only woman.(1)

After graduation she worked in the offices of Allen and Kenway (later renamed Allen & Collens). She placed second, after Sophia Hayden, in a competition to design the Women's Building at the Chicago World's Fair.(1) Howe opened her own architecture office in 1894. At first, her projects consisted of new or remodeled houses for friends and acquaintances. By 1900, she had enough work to set up an office in downtown Boston.

Eleanor Manning O’Connor was an American architect. She graduated from MIT in 1906 with an S.B. in architecture. Her thesis was entitled “Design for a Country Residence.” She served as president of Cleofan her senior year. Two years after graduation, she joined Lois Liley Howe as a draftsman. In 1912, she traveled in Europe and created watercolors of the buildings she observed. She cut the trip short to accept an offer of partnership from Howe and joined the firm, calling themselves Howe and Manning.

In the 1920s, O'Connor worked with Lois Howe and other architects on the Village of Mariemont, a planned community in Hamilton County, Ohio. One of her major works was a commission from WPA for low-cost housing in an Irish neighborhood in South Boston called the Old Harbor Housing Project, constructed 1933-1938. She worked with other architects in a collaboration known as the Seventeen Associated Architects. This project, consisting of three story apartments and two story townhouses was distinguished for its residential appeal as compared to the sterile atmosphere of most public housing. O'Connor is viewed as the partner most concerned about social issues and her concerns reflected the detailing, choice of materials and attention to proportion that contribute to the appeal of the project. Subsequently, O'Connor served on numerous housing commissions and councils at the city, state and national levels.(2)

Mary Almy was an an American architect. Almy grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As a child she suffered from polio and would walk with crutches throughout her life. In 1905, she graduated from Radcliffe College. She taught in local private schools and became interested in architecture. This interest led her family to encourage her to design and build a summer house for them in Cape Cod. (3) In 1917 she went to study architecture at MIT. She graduated from MIT with a Bachelor of Science in 1919.

After graduating she worked as a drafter at a London-based architectural firm called Collcut and Hamp for two years. In the 1920s, she became a drafter for the Boston firm owned by Louis Howe and Eleanor Manning who had also attended MIT. In 1912 she became a member of the AIA and a partner at Howe and Manning. Despite surviving the Great Depression, the firm closed in 1937 after Howe retired. (1) Manning and Almy continued in private practice and Almy would also work with landscape architect Henrietta Pope.

1. “Constructing a Place for female architects.” Accessed Jan 12, 2021. https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/02/27/137180/constructing-a-place-for-female-architects/ 2. Cole, Taylor, Doris, Karen Cord (1990). The Lady Architects: Lois Lilley Howe, Elenaor Manning and Mary Almy, 1893-1937. New York City, NY: Midmarch Arts Press. ISBN 1-187675-01-6. 3. “Mary Almy Biography.” Accessed Jan 13, 2021. https://dna.bwaf.org/architect/almy-mary/