Virginia Tanzmann, a licensed architect in multiple states, retired in 2016 after more than 43 years of designing and managing projects in various projects, including transportation, cultural, education, medical, residential, industrial, water, retail, and institutional.
For 20 years, she led her 100% woman-owned architectural practice, recognized as the largest woman-owned architectural firm in California and among the largest Women-Owned Firms in Los Angeles County. She has a long-standing, sustainable design orientation to her work and is committed to modern, integrated design practices. Virginia has taught at the university level and retains licenses to practice architecture in California and Pennsylvania, where she has several current projects.
Virginia also maintains a life of community service. Her practice had projects that provided thousands of housing units for homeless and low-income individuals. Virginia is a past president of the YWCA of LA, Volunteer Center of LA, and 211 LA; and is currently past president of the Association for Women in Architecture Foundation and serves LA Metro on its Measure M Independent Taxpayers’ Oversight Committee.
In 2023, she launched Smitten Studio, a textile studio in her hometown of Carlisle, Pennsylvania. She continues to split her time between there and her residence in Pasadena.