Archinect - News

Designing churches opened doors for Donald While, Michigan's first black licensed architect

2020-02-26T16:56:00-05:00

In the early 1930s, White became the first African-American to earn a degree from the University of Michigan's School of Architecture. He went on to become the first licensed black architect in the state.

Michigan Radio's Doug Tribou met with Karen Burton, co-founder of Noir Design PArti, a group that celebrates the work of African American architects in Detroit, at Rightway Baptist Church. The church as designed by architect Donald White, who was Michigan's first licensed black architect.

"If we look at architecture today, we know that there are fewer than 5% African-American licensed architects," said Burton in the meeting. "For Donald White, back in the early 1930s, late 1920s ... even fewer. Certainly no one that he could really look up to to say, 'That's who I want to be like.'" This was a similar sentiment architecture student Demar Matthews expressed in his piece here on Archinect, the lack of black architects for him to look up to.

She goes on to explain how black architects at the time had to find someone to commission their projects and how churches tended to have the financial means to realize architectural work.

National Museum of African American Music to open this summer in Nashville

2020-02-24T11:20:00-05:00

The National Museum of African American Music is on track to open in Nashville later this year...it will be the only institution dedicated to showcasing music genres created and inspired by black Americans. In 2015, [mayor] Karl Dean, announced that plans would move forward to redevelop the old convention center on Fifth and Broadway into a brand-new space...Nearly three years from the start of the project, the museum is nearly finished and it is expected to be completed by this summer

Designed by Nashville-based Harold Thompson Architects, the museum will house more than 1,400 artifacts, seven galleries, a theater, and live music. "The perception nationally, I think, is that Nashville is just country music. And while we love country music, I think it’s important to touch base on all the other musical genres African Americans have helped to influence," said Tamar Smithers, director of Education and Public Programs, reports Black Enterprise.

Check out the virtual tour below:

Paul R. Williams documentary to debut for Black History Month 2020

2020-02-06T18:30:00-05:00

Paul Revere Williams was one of the nation's most eminent architects beginning in the early 1920s and spanning his 5-decade-long career. He designed homes for celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant, Barbara Stanwyck, William Holden, Lucille Ball, and Desi Arnaz earning him the well-known nickname "Architect to the Stars." William's name is coupled with with iconic works of architecture like the Beverly Hills Hotel, the MCA HQ Building, and the LAX Theme Building.

Yet despite his notoriety, Williams faced discrimination because of his race. As an African-American architect, his social acceptance greatly contrasted that of his professional embracing. Right in time for Black History Month, PBS will be premiering Hollywood's Architect: the Paul R. Williams Story, which "tells the compelling, but little known story, of how he used talent and perseverance to beat the odds and create a body of work that can be found from coast to coast." the film will premiere on PBS stations thr...