Mabel C. Welch
Mabel Clair Vandenburg Welch (November 8, 1890 – December 3, 1981) was an American architect. She was the first woman to work as a professional architect in El Paso, Texas.
Biography[edit]
Mabel Clair Vandenburg was born in Panola County, Mississippi on November 8. 1890.[1] She grew up on her grandfather's plantation until the family moved to Northeast Texas in 1899.[1]
Welch and her husband, who had tuberculosis, came to El Paso for the climate in 1916.[2][3] She learned the construction business from her husband and after his death in July 1927, took over the company.[4][5] By 1939, she was a member of the Society of American Registered Architects.[6] Welch was the first certified woman architect in El Paso.[3] She continued to build new houses until 1952, after which she remodeled older homes.[6]
Welch's designs were based on traditional Spanish colonial architecture and she also advocated for using native plants for landscaping.[5] Welch was committed to beautifying El Paso.[7] Welch designed over 1,000 homes in El Paso by 1950.[8] Some of her most famous homes are located on Rim Road, including the J.W. Peak Mansion, the A. B. Poe House, and the Robert F. Thompson House.[2][9] She also designed buildings in Chihuahua City, Ciudad Juárez, Dallas, Deming, Fabens, Las Cruces, and Marfa.[10][11]
Welch had a stroke in November 1981 and left El Paso to live closer to family.[8] She died in a nursing home in Redondo Beach, California on December 3, 1981.[8]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Mabel Welch:Pioneer Woman Architect". El Paso County Historical Society. 2021-03-24. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^ a b Paloma, Natiassia (2021-05-27). "Borderland Treasures: Exploring the Homes of Mabel Welch". KTSM 9 News. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^ a b "Historical Marker: Mabel Welch in El Paso county, Texas". Historic.one. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^ "Malcolm H. Welch". El Paso Herald. 1927-07-18. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-06-23 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Spotlight on El Paso's 1st Woman Architect". El Paso Times. 1990-10-18. p. 34. Retrieved 2023-06-23 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Peters 2011, p. 31.
- ^ Foster, Ed (15 November 1981). "Up Front". El Paso Times. p. 7. Retrieved 23 June 2023."Up Front". El Paso Times. 15 November 1981. pp. 11B. Retrieved 23 June 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Mabel Welch Left Mark on El Paso". El Paso Times. 1981-12-11. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-06-23 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Moorhead, Gerald (2023-02-02). "Rim Road Houses". SAH Archipedia. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^ ""Every one built around a dream": The Architecture of Mabel Welch". Notes on Arid America. 2021-06-05. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^ Brinkman, Bob (March 2010). "Invisible Texans: Seeking Minorities in 100 Years of Texas Historical Markers". Touchstone. 29: 63–64 – via EBSCOhost.
Sources[edit]
- Peters, Craig M. (2011). El Paso's Manhattan Heights. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738584805.