Paul Revere Williams (1894-1980)
The Small Home of Tomorrow
Paul R. Williams, A.I.A.
(courtesy Dan Gregory)
John Malveaux of
writes:
Paul William, first African American to earn AIA Gold Medal
Architect Magazine
By Katie Gerfen
December 7, 2016
The first
African-American architect to win the Institute's top honor, Williams
both excelled at traditional residential design for his famous Hollywood
clients and was a major proponent of Southern California Modernism.
Paul Revere Williams has been awarded the 2017 AIA Gold Medal, the
Institute’s highest honor for an individual or pair of collaborators
whose work has had a lasting influence on the state of architecture. The
American Institute of Architects board of directors voted earlier today
to posthumously award the medal to Williams, who died in 1980, in
recognition of his extensive and impressive portfolio of nearly 3,000
buildings built over his 50-year, barrier-breaking career. William J.
Bates, FAIA, who served as AIA vice president from 2015-16, wrote in his
support of Williams’ nomination, according to the AIA: “Our profession
desperately needs more architects like Paul Williams. His pioneering
career has encouraged others to cross a chasm of historic biases. I
can’t think of another architect whose work embodies the spirit of the
Gold Medal better. His recognition demonstrates a significant shift in
the equity for the profession and the Institute.”
Williams was born in Los Angeles in 1894. He studied architecture at the
University of Southern California's School of Engineering, persevering
despite the many who tried to dissuade him for fear that he would not be
able to sustain a practice in a predominantly white community in a
deeply segregated time. He opened his practice in 1923 in a booming
residential market in Southern California, and his house designs ran the
gamut from small houses for first-time home buyers to grand revivals
for more affluent customers. His client list grew to include celebrities
such as Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, and Barron
Hilton—all of whom commissioned lavish private residences.
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