Marion Manley (1893-1984), Miami's first female architect, successfully maintained an independent architectural practice in South Florida over much of the twentieth century. In this first comprehensive, illustrated work on Manley, Catherine Lynn and Carie Penabad explore the relationship of Manley's work to her life and to the broader historical moment of which she was a part, including the overall development of the city of Miami. The book catalogs all of Manley's known work, includes images and plans where available, and provides detailed examinations of what the authors consider to be her best, most emblematic work in each phase of her long career.

Best known as one of the designers of the innovative University of Miami campus built just after the Second World War, Manley worked on other public buildings that are less well known, including an addition to the John Ringling Museum in Sarasota. Her residential work is interesting as well: modest and rational, with careful consideration of regional characteristics and construction appropriate to the South Florida landscape. As noted architect Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk remarks in her foreword, "Understanding the reduced circumstances of the provenance of these buildings and their low-tech characteristics such as rooms with cross ventilation, large areas of shaded glass, and the almost tactile relationship to the adjacent landscape, we must admire the legacy of Marion Manley."