GERTRUDE LEVERKUS 1898-1989
ADRIAN FORTY
BARTLETT STUDENT 1915-1925 - ‘Zoom Wave Hits Architecture’, New Society (3 March
G engineering before he studied architecture at The Bartlett, continued Turin’s work in establishing a theoretical bridge between these fields as well as assuming the role of mentor to numerous students. Groák’s departure to lead Arup’s research department in 1991, and his premature death shortly afterwards, put the school at risk of losing an invaluable link with engineering and construction research. Under the current deanship of Alan Penn, professor of architecture Frédéric Migayrou, and director Bob Sheil, one of Groák’s former students, the school is again leading on this agenda as a complementary partnership to experimental design. Robert (Bob) Maxwell’s inaugural lecture, entitled The Two Theories of Architecture, delivered after he was given a personal chair in 1979, began to reorientate attention on design. Reviewing developments at The Bartlett since 1960, he aimed to elevate its status of design after its sidelining under Llewelyn-Davies. In Maxwell’s words: ‘In the dialogue of art and science, he has handed art the dud microphone.’ He found support in some colleagues, such as Philip Tabor – who arrived in 1978 to support him in teaching history and theory but quickly moved into
ertrude Leverkus was born in Oldenburg, Germany on 26 September 1898 and moved shortly afterwards to Manchester with her parents. In 1915 she became the first woman to enrol on the undergraduate Architecture course at University College London. Studying under FM Simpson, she was somewhat isolated as the only woman in a class of transient men, many of whom were soldiers or overseas students. During the holidays she worked contributing drawings for Arthur Stratton’s Form and Design in Classic Architecture alongside a young Hector Corfiato. After getting her BA in 1919, she continued evening classes at UCL under Albert Richardson in order to gain her RIBA membership. She undertook further studies under Stanley Adshead, obtaining the Town Planning Certificate in 1925. In 1930 Leverkus was hired by Women’s Pioneer Housing and converted around 40 properties into self-contained apartments. In 1932, while working for Horace Field, she established the Women’s Committee
of RIBA in order to promote the interests of women architects and in 1943, through Elsie Rogers, a colleague from the Committee, she was appointed the Housing Architect in the Borough Architecture and Town Planning Office of West Ham at a time when it was being used as a test subject for Abercrombie’s Greater London Plan. Leverkus was responsible for publicity for the projects, lecturing to community groups, schools and accompanying local councillors to Westminster. As housing architect she oversaw the design and construction of ‘two-year’ and ‘ten-year’ prefabricated bungalows, also assessing long-term housing requirements for the borough. In 1948 she returned to private practice with Norman & Dawbarn, who had been appointed architects for Crawley and Harlow New Towns. Often asked to act as an advocate for women’s involvement in architecture, in 1939 she was invited by the Suffragette Fellowship to the 21st Anniversary Dinner of women’s enfranchisement to represent her industry. In 1928, speaking at a conference of women voters about architecture as a career for women, she noted that, rather than discrimination, she was more often greeted with bafflement by her male colleagues. She described how on one occasion, ‘a man actually took off his coat for me to kneel on when inspecting an excavation. Later, however, he got so used to me as a fellow-worker that he forgot himself completely and invited me to a public-house’. In the latter years of her professional life she was appointed a governor of the Brixton School of Building, and in 1960 she retired to Brighton where she lived happily until her death on 8 November 1989, aged 91. Rebecca Spaven