“If there is any kind of profession that’s gotten away with a kind of benign neglect of diversifying itself over the course of the last 30 years, it’s architecture.”

Ted Landmark, President of Boston Architectural College in 2007

In 1980, the first African-American woman was named a fellow by the American Institute of Architects. That architect was Norma M. Sklarek, the first African-American woman to earn an architecture license. She moved form New York to Los Angeles in the mid-1960’s and joined the firm of Gruen Associates. She became a director with that firm. Norma stated that, “In architecture, I had absolutely no role model.”

African Americans Influence Los Angeles Architecture

Over the years, architecture has lacked visual role models from the African-American community. Even though there was a lack of role modeling or mentoring, the professional accomplishments of African-American architects in Los Angeles was growing.

One discovery was a fascinating network of influence and mentorship radiating from Paul Revere Williams, the most famed and successful African-American architect in Los Angeles (as well as in the United States). Williams designed thousands of buildings both locally and nationally over a five-decade career. In 1923, he was the first African-American architect to join the AIA, and in 1957 was honored as an AIA fellow. In December 2016, he was posthumously awarded the AIA’s 2017 Gold Medal — the first African-American to receive the organization’s highest honor.

A new map produced by the Los Angeles chapter of the AIA marks over 50 buildings in the city with significant input by African-American architects. Until now, this history, which reveals an impressive breadth of projects, from colleges to hospitals, housing to civic centers, churches, temples, restaurants, and the iconic LAX Theme Building, was never collected into one visual.

From the Factory Floor

Sculpture install for a fountain…