In 1904 , Morgan was the first woman to obtain an architecture license in California . While living at the old family home in Oakland , she opened her own office in San Francisco , where the staff knew her as ' J.M. ' . After her first office was destroyed by the 1906 fire , she opened her office in 1907 on the 13th floor of the Merchants Exchange Building , 465 California St , in the heart of the financial district of San Francisco , where she worked for the rest of her career . Between the years of 1907 and 1910 , she partnered with Ira Hoover , former draftsman of Howard . Morgan reestablished an individual private practice in late 1910 . In April 1904 , Julia Morgan completed her first reinforced concrete structure , the 72-foot bell tower at Mills College , El Campanil , which is located across the bay from San Francisco . Two years later , El Campanil survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake unscathed without any damage , which helped build her reputation and launch her career
1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Julia Morgan