19th and 20th-centuries The first African American architects appeared in the mid-1800s. Being African American and trying to become an architect in a White-dominated profession, especially in the 1800s-1900s was difficult. Racism towards African Americans was prevalent in the 1800s-1900s and this was amplified by the addition and enforcement of
Jim Crow laws. Jim Crow Laws enforced segregation of White and Blacks, therefore promoting direct racism. Many African American architects working during and after this time period faced obstacles due to overt racism perpetuated by the society and culture of the United States.
Schools Claflin University (formerly Claflin College) was the first historically Black school to offer an architectural drawing course, starting around the 1890s. This resulted in many African American architects working without credit. After traveling and studying in Europe under the sponsorship of
Horace Trumbauer, Abele returned to Philadelphia and joined Trumbauer's firm in 1906. He served as chief designer from 1909 to 1938. The
Philadelphia Museum of Art was a collaboration between Trumbauer's firm and that of
Zantzinger, Borie and Medary. While another Trumbauer architect,
Howell Lewis Shay, is credited with the building's plan and massing, the presentation drawings are in Abele's hand. It was not until after Trumbauer's death that Abele signed his architectural drawings, or claimed credit for being the main designer of
Duke University's west campus. Abele also helped design the
Widener Memorial Library at
Harvard.
Paul Revere Williams Paul Revere Williams (1894–1980), was raised in the Los Angeles area where he attended school. After Graduating from high school, Williams attended the
Los Angeles School of Art and eventually studied at
University of Southern California (USC) (class of 1919). Williams then worked for established firms run by Wilbert D. Cook Jr. and George D. Hall. Williams received his architecture license from the state of California, and was the first black person in the
American Institute of Architects (AIA), joining the Southern California Chapter in 1923, and the first black person to become a fellow of the AIA, in 1957. The first African American women architects, such as
Norma Merrick Sklarek and
Beverly Loraine Greene, were faced with many challenges as they completed their journey of becoming architects. For years prior, the architecture industry was dominated by white men. In the 1900s, it was difficult for an African American man to receive a fair chance to become employed at a firm because of racism. On top of this, women were fighting for equal rights. Women architects not only had to overcome many setbacks due to their race but also due to their gender. Some common setbacks faced by Sklarek included being denied entry into the world of architecture, and not receiving recognition for their work. She graduated from
Columbia University and worked for the architecture firms SOM and Gruen and Associates. She also was the first black woman to join the
American Institute of Architects. Sklarek collaborated with
Cesar Pelli on projects that include the
Pacific Design Center and the
U.S. Embassy in Tokyo.
Beverly Loraine Greene Beverly Lorraine Greene (1915–1957), was the first black woman to become a licensed architect in the US. She was based out of Illinois, and started her practice in Chicago. The Directory of African American Architects maintains an ongoing list of licensed African American architects. In 2007, there were 100,000 licensed architects in the United States, however only 1,571 of them were African American and 186 of these are African American women. On October 24, 2019, there were 2,300 African American architects listed, including 467 women. African American architects represent about 2% of all licensed architects (116,000) and African American women represent approximately 0.4%, according to the
National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). There are several organizations and initiatives focused on increasing representation including the
National Organization of Minority Architects, Riding the Vortex, 400 FORWARD, Hip Hop Architecture, First 500, and Beyond the Built Environment. == List of African-American architects ==