Odilia

Odilia Suárez (1923 – 2006) was an Argentine architect, educator and urban planner. After graduating with the Gold Medal for 1950 from the University of Buenos Aires, she studied at Taliesin West with Frank Lloyd Wright and studied municipal planning in Canada, Great Britain and the United States.

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After returning to Argentina in 1964, she opened her own design studio at the University of Buenos Aires, working her way through the academic ranks to head the post-graduate research program in the architectural department, to finally Professor Emerita of the School of Architecture and Urbanism. At a time when few women were able to work in the field, Suárez was a pioneer and was committed to region-wide professionalism and scholarship. As an urban planner, she served as president of the City Council of Urban Planning for Buenos Aires and consulted on projects in Managua, Nicaragua and Puerto Madero. Her expertise led to a consultancy with the United Nations for planning and urban design throughout Latin America. Throughout her career, she won nineteen national architecture prizes and was one of the pillars of urban planning for Buenos Aires.

Saint Odilia (or Odile or Ottilia) is a Saint venerated in the Roman Catholic Church, although according to the current liturgical calendar, her feast day (18 July) is not officially commemorated. She is a patroness of good eyesight.