The Cambridge School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, founded in 1915, was a groundbreaking institution dedicated to educating women in design professions. It was the first school to offer women graduate training in both architecture and landscape architecture under a single faculty. The school's origins trace back to Katherine Brooks being refused entry to Harvard, leading to private tutoring by professor Henry Atherton Frost, which quickly evolved into a formal program.
After operating for years without degree-granting capabilities and undergoing several name changes, including the Cambridge School of Domestic and Landscape Architecture for Women, it finally partnered with Smith College in 1932. This affiliation allowed students to earn formal master's and later bachelor's degrees, strengthening its academic standing. Known for championing modernist design, the school celebrated its 25th anniversary with a significant exhibition at New York's Museum of Modern Art in 1939. Unfortunately, due to financial difficulties and lack of support, the innovative school closed its doors in 1942.