Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from Marie-Louise Laleyan Architectural Collection must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Marie-Louise Laleyan Architectural Collection, Ms2013-090, Special Collections, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Acquisition Information

The Marie-Louise Laleyan Architectural Collection was donated to Special Collections in November 2008.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Marie-Louise Laleyan Architectural Collection was completed in April 2014.

Biographical Note

Marie-Louise Laleyan (1935-2014) was a San Francisco based architect with 48 years of experience including 30 years as principal of Laleyan Architects (1977-2007), formally Laleyan Associates.

Born and educated in Bulgaria Laleyan arrived in the United States in 1964. Laleyan has practiced architecture in Sofia, Bulgaria; Paris, France; and the United States. Before establishing her own practice she worked with the following firms: Hart & Turner Architects (Sacramento, CA), Richard Neutra (Los Angeles, CA), and the San Francisco, CA firms of Claude Oakland and Associates, Anshen & Allen, Mario J. Ciamp, FAIA, and Paffard Keatinge Clay.

An active member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) she has served on the Northern California Chapter's Board of Directors, as co-chairperson of the national AIA Task Force of Women in Architecture, and coauthor of the AIA Affirmative Action Plan. She was also a founder of the Bay Area's Organization of Women in Architecture (OWA) and has represented the interests of women architects at numerous conferences and seminars.

The establishment of Laleyan Associates in 1977 was the culmination of a lifelong career intention and in her words a 'family tradition.' Laleyan was committed to keeping the firm small so that she would be able to provide quality service and personal attention to each project and client. Projects undertaken by Laleyan Architects included light commercial, medical, institutional, residential, and public buildings with construction costs ranging from $25,000-3.4 million dollars.

In 2001, Laleyan began providing Physical Needs Assessments (PNA) and Construction Monitoring services for the California Housing Finance Agency (CHFA), a state housing acquisition lender to non-profit and for profit developers.

Laleyan died on January 21, 2014.

Scope and Content

The collection contains architectural drawings, specifications, construction files, and photographs relating to projects undertaken by Marie-Louise Laleyan (1977-2007) and Laleyan Architects (1972-1977). Photographic record of her U.S. employment (1965-1972) is also present.

Separated Material

Materials related to Illinois architect Bertha Y. Whitman were removed from the Laleyan collection and placed in Ms2009-054 IAWA Small Collections under Whitman's name. (3/2009)

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Architects
• Architecture (discipline)
• History of Women in Architecture
• International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)
• Whitman, Bertha Yerex, b.1892
• Women -- History
• Women-owned architectural firms