Judith “Dita” Roque-Gourary

Judith ‘Dita’ Roque-Gourary was born on July 26, 1915, in St. Petersburg, Russia. Her family fled the country following the 1917 revolution and relocated to Naples, Italy. As a child, she studied abroad in Germany and Austria. When Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938, Roque-Gourary was just three tests away from receiving her architecture degree. She promptly left Vienna and transferred to La Cambre in Belgium to complete her studies. She remained in Belgium for the remainder of her career. Much of her work from 1941 to 1945 was destroyed during the occupation. From 1945 to 1948, she worked alongside architect Jean Nicolet-Darche before leaving to form her own private practice. Roque-Gourary specialized in remodeling and modernizing 19th- and 20th-century residences during the reconstruction period.

In 1978, Roque-Gourary founded the Union of Women Architects in Belgium and served as its president until 1983. She was an outspoken advocate for women in the profession and a noted speaker for the International Union of Women Architects (UIFA). Her collection includes drawings, personal journals, business records, and published articles about her and the Union of Women Architects of Belgium. She continued to promote the contributions of women in architecture until her retirement in 1984.