Paul Revere Williams

Paul Revere Williams. . , Paul Revere Williams was the first registered African-American architect west of the Mississippi River. In the course of a prolific and diverse five decade career, Mr. Williams designed over 3,000 buildings worldwide and many well-known Southern California landmarks, including the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Building this plaza overlooks. , , A native Angelino born in 1894, Mr. Williams was orphaned by the age of four. Growing up in foster homes he was the only African American in his elementary school. Fortunately, his foster mother Emily Clarkson devoted herself to his education and the development of his innate drawing talent. He went on to study at the Los Angeles branch of the New York Beaux-Arts Institute of Design and the University of Southern California. , , Undaunted by the racial prejudices of his time, Mr. Williams thrived in a profession thought off-limits to African Americans. He saw the issue of race as a practical problem: noting how many of his white clients would "freeze" when they learned they were dealing with a "Negro." he learned how to write and draw upside down so he did not have to cause further discomfort by sitting next to them. He persevered, taking commissions other architects thought too small, and won an architectural competition in 1919 where the judges commended the simplicity and "good taste" of his designs. In 1920, in order to gain more recognition, he served on the first Los Angeles City Planning Commission, eventually becoming the president. He obtained his license in 1921, became the first African American member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 1922, and opened his first practice in 1923. , , During the 1920's and 1930's, despite the Great Depression, Mr. Williams became known as the "Architect to the Hollywood Stars" with commissions in exclusive neighborhoods such as Brentwood, Bel Air, Beverly Hills and San Marino. , , Adaptive and diverse, he was known for his mastery of various architectural styles including contemporary interpretations of Tudor-revival, Regency, Spanish Colonial, Mediterranean and later on, the so-called "Googie" style. Mr. Williams; clients would eventually include Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball and Desi Amaz, Danny Thomas, Barbara Stanwyck, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Anthony Quinn, Tyrone Power and many others. , , Mr. Williams noted the irony in the fact that many of the homes he designed were located on lands with restrictive covenants barring blacks from purchasing them. Mr. Williams also designed more modest housing such as the Pueblo del Rio housing project and the nation's first federally funded public housing project, Langston Terrace in Washington, DC. , , Mr. Williams' portfolio of public and civic buildings includes Woodrow Wilson High School, Marina Del Rey Middle School, a renovation of the Beverly Hills Hotel, the 28th Street YMCA, the Los Angeles County Courthouse, the Los Angeles County Hall of Adminstration, the Beverly Hills Saks Fifth Avenue, among others. In 1939, he won the AIA Award of Merit for his design of the MCA Building in Los Angeles. During World War II, Mr. Williams provided his services to the U.S. Navy contributing to the design of the Long Beach Naval Station as well as several wartime housing projects. He designed the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Building which opened in 1949. He also designed the iconic restaurants Perino's and Chasen's that were dominant in the 1950's and 1960's social scene. In 1957, he was voted the first African American fellow in the American Institute of Architects (FAIA). Mr. Williams was part of the team that designed the Los Angeles International Airport Theme Building that opened in 1961. He was the designer of several First AME churches, including its main sanctuary that was completed near here in 1968. , , In 1953, Mr. Williams received the Springarn Medal from the NAACP for his outstanding contributions. He also received honorary doctorates from Howard University, Lincoln University of Missouri and the Tuskegee Institute. Mr. Williams authored numerous books and magazine columns. , , Mr. Williams retired from his practice in 1973 and died in 1980 at the age of 85. He was survived by his wife Della Williams (1895-1996) who cofounded the Wilfandel Club, the oldest African American women's club in Los Angeles, located nearby at 3425 West Adams. He is interred in Inglewood Park Cemetery five miles south-southwest of this plaza.