[7], Lockheed and Guerdon Industries recruited Williams to design a concept for a car-alternative travel system in Las Vegas. Craggy geodes and quartz spheres sit in various corners for their feng shui properties. A collection of 280 photographs was published in 2020 by Janna Ireland featuring Williams' work, called, Sennot, Stephen, Samudio, Jeffrey B. hide caption. [9] He also designed at least one home in the San Rafael district along with many others in Pasadena and La Cañada Flintridge. A flash of illuminated neon cuts through the moody watercolors of Mary Weatherford, mounted in the living room behind the plush Jean Royère Polar Bear sofa.
Williams also received honorary doctorates from Lincoln University of Missouri (doctor of science, 1941), Howard University (doctor of architecture, 1952), and the Tuskegee Institute (doctor of fine arts, 1956). Still very much in love with the location (notably right on top of the Bel-Air Country Club’s 17th hole), they ultimately decided to stay, but not without a major intervention. Designer Ernest de la Torre marries the house’s 1934 Tudor style with a minimalist vibe. When I started photographing buildings designed by Paul Williams—the first certified Black architect on the West Coast—I knew little about architecture. hide caption, Even today, the Taylor home retains almost all of the original details from 1954. In 2017, 37 years after his death, 44 years after his retirement, and 94 years after his AIA induction, Williams became the first Black architect to win the AIA Gold Medal. He and Mark Rios of the architecture firm RIOS were tasked with marrying two opposing themes: the clean, modern sensibilities of their client and the vintage flourishes of her 1934 Tudor-style duplex, a design evocative of the English countryside by legendary Hollywood architect Paul R. Williams. hide caption. March 1994) Given a free hand to design, the house would become Williams’ unfettered vision of the future. In 1923, he became the first Black member of the American Institute of Architects — one of many "firsts" in his long career. He's often remembered as an "architect to the stars," creating opulent mansions for the likes of Lucille Ball and Frank Sinatra. Paul Revere Williams, FAIA (February 18, 1894 – January 23, 1980) was an American architect based in Los Angeles, California. Williams won an architectural competition at age 25, and three years later opened his own office. I can't think of another architect whose work embodies the spirit of the Gold Medal better. Kelly Music Co. Building (1929, as of 2020, Tanino restaurant), 1043 Westwood Bl., The concrete paraboloid La Concha Motel in Las Vegas (disassembled and moved to the, Roberts House Ranch "The Tropical Terrace", Malibu, CA (The remains of the burned down structures can be explored on Solstice Canyon Trail in Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Smith suspects that her grandparents asked their lighter-skin friend, who could have passed for white, to purchase the land on their behalf before racially restrictive covenants were deemed unenforceable.
At one point in his career Williams became interested in prefabricated structures. Williams was the only African-American student in his elementary school. [27] His funeral was held at the First AME Church he designed, and the presiding minister, Rev. But when she told a teacher — also white — that she hoped to attend New York University to study photography, he told her that it "wasn't a place for people from humble beginnings. Still, when I travel through its streets, I see a world of infinite possibilities. A framed photograph of the late Paul Revere Williams, an early architect to the stars, sits inside the home of his granddaughter Karen Hudson. I wanted to create an experience of Williams’s work that was about the feeling of living in the spaces and loving them. The addition houses the informal spaces, including a family room that continues out to the pool deck through disappearing glass doors. The client entrusted de la Torre to build upon the home’s collection of art and design.
(Jay Calis), A traditional-style home in Brentwood is among the houses designed by Paul Revere Williams. Hancock Park provides a good example of how Williams’s career came to be.
Janna Ireland After he established himself, Ireland says, Williams chose projects that would uplift the Black community. [3], "Our profession desperately needs more architects like Paul Williams. The documentary "Hollywood’s Architect: The Paul R. Williams Story" aired on PBS in February 2020. Williams could design a neoclassical mansion or a modernist bungalow. His most famous homes were for celebrities, and he was well regarded for his mastery of various architectural styles. Having worked for her before, he came into the project with a clear understanding of her vision: “She likes her minimalism, but also rich history and art,” he says. Janna Ireland Word spread throughout Hancock Park and other affluent parts of the city about his impeccable work. (contributing editor), "Encyclopedia of 20th Century Architecture: Paul Revere Williams", Routledge, Taylor & Francis Publishers, January, 2004, 1,500 word biography of life and professional work. I wanted to acquire new abilities. Ireland says he believed that "good design wasn't just for the rich," that it was for everyone, regardless of race or class. A skittish prospective client could be drawn in by the magic of watching the home of their dreams appear on the table in front of them without the impropriety of sitting next to the architect. In 1956, he won an award for service, from Wisdom magazine, for "contributions to knowledge and distinguished service to mankind. The Bert Lahr estate, designed by Paul Williams and built in 1941, is for sale at $25.58 million. Williams designed one house in Hancock Park, then another, and another. I wanted to acquire new abilities. He also designed the Al Jolson tomb in Hillside Memorial Park, to where Jolson's body was moved in 1951. This house plan is from this old tattered book called "The Small Home of Tomorrow" by Paul R. Williams AIA, from 1945 I got a few years ago. Williams’ early practice flourished through his growing skills as a designer of small, affordable houses for new homeowners and larger, historic revival-style homes for more affluent clients in Flintridge, Windsor Square and Hancock Park. Paul R. Williams' simple, compact and "well thought out" entry for the Hollow Tile House Competition is awarded first place by a panel of important regional architects, including John C. Austin. Janna Ireland By the time their house was completed, the covenants had been lifted. In a previous audio version of this story, we incorrectly said that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1948 that racially restrictive covenants were unconstitutional. What does a building look like from the street, or a room look like from the threshold? They once considered moving, but found themselves unable to part with their scenic backyard views of lush treetops. Eventually, however, as I grew older and thought more clearly, I found in my condition an incentive to personal accomplishment, and inspiring challenge. "If I allow the fact that I am a Negro to checkmate my will to do, now, I will inevitably form the habit of being defeated. Theme Building Los Angeles International Airport 209 World Way Los Angeles, CA. In 1951, Williams won the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, Man of the Year award and in 1953 he received the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP for his outstanding contributions as an architect and member of the African-American community. Williams retired his practice in 1973, and died from diabetes on January 23, 1980, at age 85. Designed by Williams in the early 1960s, both structures were built in 1963 to serve casino employees who lived and worked in the area. "[5], This article is about the architect. Ireland hypothesizes that Williams' versatility was borne out of necessity because he had to be more dexterous than white contemporaries. [9] One notable home, the Jay Paley House, which he designed for Jay Paley in Holmby Hills,[10] and later the residence of Barron Hilton, was used as the 'Colby mansion' in exterior scenes for The Colbys television series.
Three years ago, architect Barbara Bestor approached me with an idea. The Linda Vista Area of Pasadena has many Spanish Colonial and French Country homes of his design including many commissioned by business magnates (Chrysler Corporation) and actors. Paul Revere Williams was one of the most important and prolific commercial architects ever to hit the drawing board. I was also busy with a one-year-old and a new full-time office job.