This book presents the life story of an extraordinary woman in the world of corporate
architecture during the Mad Men era of the 1950s to 1980s. Born in a small village in Germany
Brigitte Peterhans managed to come to America to study with Mies van der Rohe at the Illinois
Institute of Technology in Chicago and then to work with Bruce Graham at Skidmore Owings &
Merrill. Her work during this time reflected the mid-century modernism of Mies and SOM. Later
in her career both towards the end of her time at SOM and then on her own after retiring from
SOM she developed her own individual style. Significantly Peterhans avoided any attempt to be
either challenged or praised strictly as a woman architect insisting that she was merely an
architect. Yet she overcame the challenges of being a woman architect and her spirit and
determination left a lasting impression on her young colleagues. Brigitte Peterhans' story
therefore has the merit to inspire many more up-and-coming architects both women and men.
