Wivi Lonn born as Olivia Mathilda Lonn was a Finnish architect. She was the first woman to be awarded the honorary title of "Professor" by the Finnish Association of Architects. Olivia Mathilda Lonn was born in the village of Onkiniemi, near Tampere. After graduating from the Industrial School of Tampere she moved to Helsinki. From 1893 to 1896 she studied architecture at the Polytechnic University of Helsinki. During the same period, she won first prize in several architectural competitions. During her life she developed a close friendship with Hanna Parviainen, with whom she collaborated many times.

Later career

Her graduation from the university was followed by the establishment of her architectural office, making her the first independently practicing female architect of Finland. In 1904 she won the first architectural prize in a contest of the School of Economics of Tampere. From 1909 to 1913 she designed and built the Estonia Theatre in the Art Nouveau style together with Armas Lindgren. In the 1910s she designed the mansion in Jyvaskyla of Alvar Aalto. In 1913 she moved to Jyvaskyla, where she developed several architectural projects, among them a school, a factory, and several other buildings.

In the 1920s she cooperated with Hanna Parviainen in the area of Jyvaskyla. At the same time she designed and built the headquarters of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) in Helsinki. In 1945 was completed her Sodankyla Geophysical Observatory. In 1956 she became the first woman to be awarded the honorary title of the "Professor" by the Finnish Association of Architects.