Preserving Minerva: (Re)Discovering the Work of Architect Minerva Parker Nichols
Molly Lester
October 17, 2024
Cranaleith’s historic house comes with a legacy of empowerment, spiritual transformation and social justice. Join us for an evening of discovery and celebration of the “domestic church” of Mill-Rae, its iconic female architect, Minerva Parker Nichols, and our newly awarded Mill-Rae grants.
We will begin our evening at 5:30 pm with a reception and an exciting announcement about our new historic house grants shared by Executive Director, Dawn Hayward. Followed by a presentation by architectural historian, Molly Lester.
Molly will share the story of the architect of Cranaleith’s main house, Minerva Parker Nichols (1862–1949) based on over a decade of (ongoing) research, which culminated in a major exhibition at the University of Pennsylvania in 2023 and a new book. She will give a talk about Minerva’s life and work, and then lead a tour through the main house, which Minerva designed in 1890 for Rachel Foster Avery, the corresponding secretary of the National Women’s Suffrage Association.
Facilitator
Molly Lester
Margaret (Molly) Lester is the Associate Director of the Urban Heritage Project, based in the Weitzman School of Design’s Graduate Program for Historic Preservation and PennPraxis. In that role, she is the project manager for cultural landscape research, survey/documentation, and community engagement projects conducted with the National Park Service and other partners. In addition…
Learn more about Molly Lester
Margaret (Molly) Lester is the Associate Director of the Urban Heritage Project, based in the Weitzman School of Design’s Graduate Program for Historic Preservation and PennPraxis. In that role, she is the project manager for cultural landscape research, survey/documentation, and community engagement projects conducted with the National Park Service and other partners. In addition…
Learn more about Molly Lester