A new film about the women who built New York will be previewed at REW Women’s Forum on Tuesday.
UNKNOWN NEW YORK – THE CITY THAT WOMEN BUILT is the fifth film by architect Beverly Willis to be released over the last eight years.
The 19-minute documentary introduces the work of women architects, builders, engineers and developers who have helped shape the skyline of New York City and depicts 234 Manhattan projects designed, engineered, or developed by women.
It is Willis’ hope that the film will not only encourage more young women to become architects themselves but, let architecture historians understand the quality and extent of women’s contributions to architecture.
After 35 years leading her own architectural firm, Willis was astounded to discover that women were not represented in literature on architecture and architectural history. In 2002, she and architectural historians Diane Favro and Lian Mann, along with Heidi Gifford, formed the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation (BWAF), a nonprofit with the mission of advancing the knowledge and recognition of women’s contributions to architecture in architecture history.
Representatives from BWAF will be at the REW Women’s Forum to showcase the organization’s work and preview Unknown New York ahead of its world premiere at the SVA Theater on West 23rd Street on Wednesday, June 6. For tickets to the screening visit https://unknownny.eventbrite.com.
To find out more about Tuesday’s women’s forum, visit www.rew-womens-forum.com
Beverly Willis has been a member of SAH since 1998.