Maria José Marques da Silva

Maria José Marques da Silva (1914–1996) was a Portuguese architect who, like her celebrated father, designed buildings in her native city of Porto. In 1943, she became the first woman to graduate as an architect from the Porto School of Fine Arts.

Biography

Maria José first worked in the office of her father, José Marques da Silva, a highly successful architect in Porto. In 1943, she married the architect David Moreira da Silva. Together they opened their own business, designing a number of buildings and participating in the urban planning of the city while completing works initiated by Marques de Silva. Their principal designs include the Palácio do Comércio (1946), the Trabalho e Reforma (1953) and the Torre Miradouro (1969) buildings in Porto. They also carried out several assignments for the church including the completion of the Penha Sanctuary at the São Torcato Church in Guimarães.

After the couple turned to farming in the 1970s, Maria José Marques da Silva continued to participate in the management of the Association of Portuguese Architects, organizing their 40th Congress in 1986. Later in life, she did much in support of her father's legacy. In her will, she provided funding for the University of Porto to establish the José Marques da Silva Institute.

She died in Porto, her home town, on May 13, 1994.