About AIA
A Brief History of the AIA (adopted from
the AIA National website)
On February 23, 1857, 13 architects met in Richard Upjohn's
office to form what would becomeThe American Institute of
Architects. The group included H. W. Cleaveland, Henry Dudley,
Leopold Edlitz, Edward Gardiner, Richard Morris Hunt, J.
Wrey Mould, Fred A. Peterson, J. M. Priest, John Welch,
and Joseph C. Wells, as well as Upjohn's son Richard and
son-in-law Charles Babcock. The group sought to create an
architecture organization that would "promotethe scientific
and practical perfection of its members" and "elevate
the standing of the profession." In 1858 the constitution
was amended, enlarging the mission of the AIA "to promote
the artistic, scientific, and practical profession of its
members; to facilitate their intercourse and good fellowship;
to elevate the standing of the profession; and to combine
the efforts of those engaged in the practice of Architecture,
for the general advancement of the Art."
To achieve these ends, the document called for regular meetings
of the membership, lectures on topics of general interest,
creation of a library, and development of an architectural
model and design collection for the use of the membership.
To ensure good rapport, the constitution banned all discussions
of a religious or political nature from the meetings.
The mission statement remained in effect until 1867, when
it was modified to read,“The objects of this institute
are to unite in fellowship the Architects of this continent,
and to combine their efforts so as to promote the artistic,
scientific, and practical efficiency of the profession.”
Over time, these precepts have been further refined, but
the basic objectives have remained the same.
By the mid1860’s, architects from other cities wanted
to join the AIA, so the members began a series of debates
on the best way to include them. Some suggested the AIA
invite architects from Mexico and Canada to join, but nothing
came of this idea, and the focus returned to architects
in other U.S. cities. By 1887, AIA chapters had been formed
in Philadelphia, Chicago, Cincinnati, Boston, Baltimore,
Albany, Rhode Island, San Francisco, St. Louis, Indianapolis,
and Washington, D.C. Today, the AIA has more than 300 chapters,
now called components, in the United States and its territories,
as well as in the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, Hong
Kong, and Japan.
Over time, membership in the AIA has grown from the original
29 members in 1857, to 11,500 in 1957, to 72,000 in 2003.
>From the beginning, membership in the Institute was
to be limited to practicing architects. Provisions were
made to allow associate members to join, as well as honorary
members and honorary corresponding members (architects from
other countries). Today, the AIA has four membership classifications:
AIA (licensed architects), Associate AIA (interns, academics,
non-licensed architects), FAIA (Fellows of the AIA), and
AIA Emeritus (retired licensed architects).
From a small group of professionals sharing a meal, the
American Institute of Architects has grown to a robust,
focused organization providing guidance, service, and standards
to architects around the world. The AIA continues to strive
for quality, consistency, and safety in the built environment
and to serve as the voice of architecture.
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