Time Era

Historic time period: 1890–1930

Building Beautiful Buildings

Architects design the buildings we use every day. Their designs solve problems, like how to make a sturdy building, and reflect their ideas about beauty and history.

Julia Morgan Built a Castle is a book about one of America's first women architects, who designed almost 800 buildings during her career. Explore the story by reading together and then try some of these fun activities to learn more about architecture and how buildings are designed.

Read This Book

You can learn more about trains by reading these books. Click on the book titles below for more information, or visit our complete bibliography.

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Julia Morgan Built a Castle book cover

Featured Book

Julia Morgan Built a Castle

by Celeste Davidson Mannis

Julia Morgan Built a Castle Copyright Viking Press

Activities

  • scaled drawing of a person in a room

    Paper Houses

    Play and Create

    Take the architect's challenge! Try three different ways of representing your home on paper.

    Download the PDF »
  • view of the Supreme Court of the United States

    Searching for Symmetry and Scale

    Learn from Objects

    Take a close look at two drawings of a famous building.

    Download the PDF »

  • geometric shapes

    Shape Up

    Use Technology

    How many different shapes can you find by looking at a building? Use your computer's paint program to explore.

    Download the PDF »
  • front of a house

    House Hunting

    Take a Trip

    Use a field guide to see the buildings in your neighborhood through the eyes of an architect!

    Download the PDF »

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