Sarah Jane Campbell and Mary A. Campbell

417-19 School House Lane, Philadelphia, PA

1891-92 | Residence (duplex) | Extant

“Parker…is engaged on plans for a pair of brick houses, colonial in style, three-stories high, to be built of brick and stone, fitted on interior with electric bells and all modern conveniences. They are to be built for Miss Mary Campbell on School Lane, Germantown.” (May 6, 1891)

“Minerva Parker, the woman architect, has completed the drawings for two houses to be erected for Miss Mary Campbell, of School Lane.” (Philadelphia Times, May 11, 1891)

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Mary and Jane Campbell were two unmarried sisters who advocated for suffrage, particularly among Catholic women (as they themselves were practicing Catholics). Mary Campbell listed herself in local directories as a teacher, and Jane became a publisher/editor with the launch of their magazine Woman’s Progress. Minerva designed this discreet duplex for the sisters in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, although it may have been occupied by Jane and another relative while Mary maintained a residence next door.

As frequently happened in Minerva’s career, this commission was mutually beneficial for architect and client: Minerva designed these twin residences so that the women could carve out dedicated space for their own work, and in turn, the sisters featured Minerva in an extended profile in Woman’s Progress—marketing her to other potential clients among their readers.