AIA Long Beach South Bay

All for One

In 1884, a rival organization, the Western Association of Architects, was founded in Chicago. This group's membership comprised architects from the Midwest and the South. Chapters formed in several states, and the organization began championing the idea of licensure for architects. By 1888, it was clear that the WAA and the AIA had similar goals and, in some cases, the same members. In 1889, the two groups met in Cincinnati and decided to merge. The merger was approved by a two-thirds majority vote of the WAA, and its membership, property, and records were transferred to the AIA. As part of the negotiations, it was decided the new consolidated group would retain the name "The American Institute of Architects." In return, the AIA agreed to honor the membership nomenclature of the WAA: "Fellow." The AIA had a similar category, but instead of applying it to all members, it reserved the title for a select few. In addition, the AIA agreed to continue the push for licensure.

Over time, membership in the AIA has grown from the original 29 members in 1857, to 11,500 in 1957, to 75,000 in 2005. From the beginning, membership in the Institute was to be limited to practicing architects. Provisions were made to allow associate members to join, as well as honorary members and honorary corresponding members (architects from other countries). Today, the AIA has four membership classifications: AIA (licensed architects), Associate AIA (interns, academics, nonlicensed architects), FAIA (Fellows of the AIA), and AIA Emeritus (retired licensed architects).