In an era of deep-seated racial segregation and professional exclusion, trailblazing Black architects defied immense odds to design some of America’s most enduring structures. From the halls of academia to the grandest of cultural institutions to churches in Harlem, their work shaped the skylines and communities we both know and adore today. Yet, their names have been largely forgotten, and their masterpieces have often been credited to their white counterparts. These Black architects helped shape our built environment, often without due credit– that is, until now.
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Today, only two percent of licensed architects in the U.S. are Black. But that won’t stop us from celebrating the Black architects who designed some of the most iconic figures of architecture and the buildings that define their powerful, yet silenced, legacy.
The Tuskegee Chapel – Designed by Robert R. Taylor
The current chapel located on Tuskegee University’s Alabama campus was completed in 1969, but it replaced the university’s original 1898 chapel, designed by Robert R. Taylor, a Black man. The original design by Taylor, America’s first academically trained Black architect AND the first Black graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, stands as a testament to the powerful collaboration between a leading modernist architect and a local African-American firm, successfully bridging modern architectural expression with historical and cultural traditions. Another fun fact: the chapel was built by Tuskegee students using bricks they made themselves.
Philadelphia Museum of Art – Designed by Julian Abele
Abele, a chief designer for Horace Trumbauer based in Philadelphia, faced immense racial discrimination, but that didn’t stop him or his talent. He was a primary designer for the Philadelphia Museum of Art, most notably credited for the museum’s iconic exterior terracing, including the grand front steps that have become a cultural landmark due to its feature in the movie “Rocky” (1976). He also designed the intricate details of the museum’s decorative elements, including grand staircases and crown molding, which are still visible today.
Duke Univerisity’s West Campus – Designed by Julian Abele
The university’s West Campus design till this day is a stunning example of the Collegiate Gothic style, popularized for academic institutions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Abele’s design for Duke’s West Campus drew inspiration from the famous cathedrals and universities of Europe, such as those at Oxford and Cambridge. Abele’s flawless designs were organized around open quadrangles, with the iconic Duke Chapel placed on the highest point, serving as the physical and spiritual center of the campus.
Harlem’s Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church – Designed by Vertner Woodson Tandy
Tandy, who was the first Black registered architect in New York State, a founder of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, and an integral part of the Harlem Renaissance, played a significant role in shaping 20th-century Harlem. Aside from designing Villa Lewaro, Madam C.J. Walker’s opulent estate in Irvington, New York, Tandy also had a hand in designing the Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in Harlem.
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission’s designation report for the church credits George W. Foster, his partner, as the architect. However, given their partnership and the collaborative nature of architectural firms, Tandy almost certainly had a hand in the design and management of the project. The church, often referred to as a “Freedom Church,” was founded in 1796 and is the oldest Black church in New York State. The congregation was established by Black parishioners who broke away from a white Methodist church due to increasing segregation.
Beverly Hills Hotel – Designed by Paul Revere Williams
Williams, affectionately known as the “Architect to the Stars,” designed many buildings in Southern California, including homes for Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, and Cary Grant. He was the first Black member and later the first Black Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). He famously designed the Crescent Wing and the beloved famous cursive logo of the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Talk about iconic!
St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital – Designed by Paul Revere Williams
Williams’ designs didn’t stop on the West Coast, as he designed the Memphis hospital that was reportedly deeply personal for him.
The St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was founded by Williams’ close friend, entertainer Danny Thomas, who had vowed to build a shrine to St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of hopeless causes, when he made it big. Thomas promised to create a hospital that would treat children with catastrophic diseases, regardless of their race, religion, or a family’s ability to pay for care. Williams was so moved by Thomas’ vision that he donated his architectural services for the design of the original hospital building in 1962. The original building, which was shaped in a five-pointed, star-shaped building, with a central hub from which five wings radiated, was long considered his most satisfying project of his career, which he designed for free.
UNESCO Headquarters – Designed by Beverly Loraine Greene
We didn’t forget our ladies!
Greene was the first African-American woman to be licensed as an architect in America. Greene not only broke barriers by working for prominent firms in New York, she also contributed to the design of the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris and was also an integral part of the team that designed projects like the New York University campus.
Pacific Design Center – Designed by Norma Merrick Sklarek
Sklarek, the first Black woman to be licensed as an architect in New York and California, also became the first Black woman to become a member of the AIA College of Fellows. She collaborated on the Pacific Design Center’s design in Los Angeles and the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. If that wasn’t enough, she also served as a project manager on Terminal One at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change – Designed by J. Max Bond Jr.
Bond Jr., the former dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture and his firm Bond Ryder & Associates, were instrumental in the design of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, a project that stands as a powerful testament to his architectural philosophy. The Center is a place of remembrance, education, and social activism, and Bond’s design was deeply influenced by this mission.
It is also where King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King, are buried in a crypt on its grounds. Their shared crypt is a central feature of the complex, located on a circular brick base in the middle of a reflecting pool. It was designed with core buildings compiling the complex, which was completed in 1981. This was also a monumental contract for a Black-owned firm at the time.
9/11 Memorial Museum – Designed by J. Max Bond Jr.
Bond Jr. became a partner in the firm, Davis Brody Bond, in the ’90s. The firm is primarily known for its work on the National September 11 Memorial Museum in New York City. The firm was responsible for the design of the subterranean museum, which is located 70 feet below the ground level and occupies the original foundations of the World Trade Center towers.
National Museum of African American History and Culture – Designed by McKissack & McKissack
Siblings Moses McKissack III and his brother Calvin kept business in the family with the oldest Black-owned architectural and engineering firm in the United States, founded in Nashville in 1905. The firm contributed to many significant projects, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Its exterior design boasts of a filigreed bronze-colored screen– inspired by the decorative ironwork created by enslaved African American artisans in the American South.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial – Designed by McKissack & McKissack
The firm continues to thrive today under the leadership of Deryl McKissack, who also helped design the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in our nation’s capital. McKissack & McKissack was selected to lead the design-build team for the project, meaning they were responsible for taking the initial design concept from ROMA Design Group and making it a reality. Those responsibilities included project management and construction oversight, cooridating the design team, implementation of said design, and being responsible for the site’s overall landscape design, including the planting of over 200 trees, which were carefully planned to be in bloom during the anniversary of Dr. King’s death.
August Wilson Center for African American Culture – Designed by Allison Williams
Williams, a highly respected architect known for her work at some of the world’s largest and most high-profile firms including Perkins+Will, has contributed to a wide range of projects from cultural centers to athletic facilities, but notably the August Wilson Center for African American Culture in Pittsburgh. As a lead designer at her firm, Williams worked on the center that serves as a home for African American art and culture. The Center is a powerful example of Williams’ architectural philosophy, which centers on creating buildings that are responsive to their urban context, steeped in cultural meaning, and designed to serve the community.
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