Bellefonte, Pa. \u2014 Born on May 24, 1889,\u00a0Anna Wagner Keichline\u00a0was the first female to be registered as an architect in the state of Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n
That, in itself, is impressive. Still, it\u2019s far from her only achievement. It\u2019s not even the top of the list. Once you start learning about Anna Keichline, it becomes a rabbit hole of amazing achievements.<\/p>\n
Anna was born in Bellefonte, the youngest of four children born to John and Sarah Keichline. As she grew up, she expressed an interest in building, and her parents gave her a workshop and some carpentry tools. She used these to make some furniture, and displayed talent at it.<\/p>\n
At 14, she won a prize at a county fair for a table and chest she had made, and was interviewed by a local newspaper. She informed him that she wanted to go into industrial design \u2014 never mind that most women didn\u2019t work outside the home at that time. Anna knew what she was going to do with her life.<\/p>\n
She attended Penn State for a year, studying mechanical engineering, and then went to Cornell University. She graduated in 1911, and was the fifth female there to receive a degree in architecture. She became the first woman in Pennsylvania to be licensed and registered as an architect.<\/p>\n
In addition to designing houses, in which she was known for creating convenient and user-friendly kitchens, Anna invented her own products. She became the holder of seven patents.<\/p>\n
\u201cModern ways of housekeeping require modern construction,\u201d she said in a 1929 newspaper interview.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The most notable of her patents was for the K-brick, a sort of lightweight and versatile brick that was hollow and could be more easily used. This became the predecessor to today\u2019s cinder blocks.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Bald Eagle and Nittany Valley Presbyterian Church in Mill Hall, Clinton County<\/p>\n
She designed and built the Bald Eagle and Nittany Valley Presbyterian Church in Mill Hall, Clinton County. This church was completed in 1915 and was considered architecturally notable for its time. It was a gothic revival style building, notable for its kitchen designed for large events and the truss effect of the sanctuary.<\/p>\n
But architecture wasn\u2019t the only thing she did with her life. Anna was involved in the suffragette movement, campaigning to get women the right to vote. She had her own car, which was a bit different for women at that time; most of the cars were owned by males. Anna was a delegate to a conference during the Hoover administration, providing her input and expertise.<\/p>\n
During World War I, she joined the war effort, becoming a special agent with military intelligence, a position she requested.<\/p>\n
She applied and asked for a field job, stating on her application, \u201dThe above might suggest a drafting or office job, but if you should deem it advisable to give me something more difficult or as I wish to say more dangerous, I should much prefer it.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
She served in this capacity during the war, receiving complimentary letters from her superiors.<\/p>\n
A historic marker to Anna stands in Bellefonte outside the Plaza Theater, which she designed. Anna died at 53 on Feb. 5, 1943, and was buried in Union Cemetery in Bellefonte.<\/p>\n
Her influence is still felt in architecture throughout the country. If you spend any time in buildings at all, ever, it\u2019s likely that you owe a debt to Anna Wagner Keichline and her work.<\/p>\n
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