born in Varna, Bulgaria on September 20, 1927
died in Blacksburg, Va. on November 4, 2010.
Milka Bliznakov (1927-2010)
an American and Bulgarian architect, professor, historian, author and editor.
Here is the letter of the present Chair of the IAWA Board of Advisors:
Dear IAWA Center Board of Advisors, past Advisors and Friends,
It is with great sadness,
to bring you news of the death
of our friend and colleague Milka Bliznakov
on Thursday, November 4 at her home in Blacksburg.
As many of you know, we recently held the IAWA Center Annual Meeting here at Virginia Tech on Saturday, October 25. Milka was present as we all remember her - an active presence at the meeting and unwavering in her support for the goal of the IAWA Center. We will cherish her enthusiasm for the legacy she established along with many other fond memories.
Milka Bliznakov is a highly respected member of the architectural profession in the USA.
She was the founder and chair of the Board of Advisors of the International Archive of Women in Architecture from 1985 to 1993 and its Honorary Chair up to the present.
She was among the leading architectural historians concerned in the Soviet avant-guarde architecture and architecture of the 20th century Modern Movement.
Professional Appointments
Milka received her M.Arch. from the State Polytechnic of Sofia, Bulgaria in 1951 and had practiced Architecture in Bulgaria and France from 1959-1961 and in the USA from 1961-1972. After receiving her Ph.D. from Columbia University, NYC in 1971, she began teaching at the University of Texas, 1972-1974.
Milka Bliznakov joined the Virginia Tech faculty of Architecture in 1974 to teach in the Urban Design program. After the program was closed, she was transferred to teach advanced design in urban environments until her retirement in 1998.
Academic Appointments
M.Arch., State Polytechnic of Sofia, Bulgaria
Ph.D., Columbia University
She is the 1972 co-founder of the Institute of Modern Russian Culture.
In 1985 Milka founded the International Archive of Women in Architecture.
She received the Parthena Award (1994), the Fulbright Hays Fellowship (1983, 1991), the International Research & Exchange Grant (1984, 1993), a National Endowment for the Arts grant (1973-74), and the Wilson Center of the Smithsonian Institute Scholar (1988).
She has had numerous publications focused mainly on the European avant-garde and the contributions of women to the built environment.
Editorial Appointments
IAWA Newsletter
Centropa
Roanoke Times, November 6 to November 7, 2010
New River Valley News & Infocenter for Montgomery, Giles, and Pulaski Counties, Nov. 4, 2010.
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/roanoke/obituary.aspx?n=milka-tcherneva-bliznakov&pid=146432294
http://sofiazanas.blogspot.com/2010/11/blog-post.html
http://caus5.arch.vt.edu/IAWA/IAWA_Timeline.html
http://spec.lib.vt.edu/iawa/guide.html
http://lumiere.lib.vt.edu/iawa_db/view_all.php3?person_pk=33&table=bio
http://www.cambridge.org/us/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521452816
http://owa-usa.org/newsletter.php?v=356
