Portugal: Maria José Marques da Silva

Born in 1914 in Porto, Portugal, Maria José Marques da Silva was the first woman to graduate with an architecture diploma (CODA) from the Faculdade de Belas Artes da Universidade do Porto (Porto Fine Arts School) in Porto, Portugal (1943). After graduation, she worked for the architectural firm established by her father, José Marques da Silva, then established an office in collaboration with her husband, David Moreira da Silva. She was president of the Northern Regional Section of the Association of Portuguese Architects (1984–1986), participating in the organization of the 40th Congress of Portuguese Architects hosted in Porto (1986). To honor her father’s architectural legacy, she and her husband bequeathed the estate of Marques da Silva to the University of Porto (1994). This bequest was the catalyst for the establishment of the Architect José Marques da Silva Institute (1996), which later transformed into a private foundation known as the Fundação Instituto Marques da Silva (FIMS) at the former residence of the architect (2009–). Archival materials related to Maria José Marques da Silva and her husband are also located at FIMS. Maria José Marques da Silva died in 1994 in Porto.