The Buffalo Architect Fighting for Women in Design
A name necklace typically refers to somebody close to the wearer: a child, significant other or even oneself. Kelly Hayes McAlonie wears a necklace that spells out the last name of Louise Blanchard Bethune, who became the first professional woman architect in the US when she opened her own practice in 1881. That's how devoted she is to the cause of supporting women in design.
The winner of the 2025 American Institute of Architects Award for Excellence in Public Architecture in April, McAlonie has designed community playgrounds for Robert Leathers, the Ithaca-based architect whose firm Leathers & Associates has created thousands of custom outdoor play spaces since the 1970s. She also currently oversees planning for the University at Buffalo, which has three vastly different campuses spread across the upstate New York city. And several years back, she pushed Mattel to create an architect Barbie. Her architect heroine would likely be impressed.
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