As a seasoned architect, Androsky Lugo knows that the field benefits when contributions from people of all social backgrounds and ethnicities are valued and preserved. He commends the recent Getty Foundation grant of $3.1 million to the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund’s program dedicated to identifying and preserving the architectural works of modern African-American architects.
The program is set to run for two years. It will not only create an awareness of the many contributions of African-American architects to the field but also work to preserve buildings designed by African-American architects.
Androsky Lugo (aka A. Alberto Lugo) explains that even those who are familiar with the history of architecture aren’t aware of some of the most prominent African-American architects in the field and how their work has impacted architectural trends and designs. Vertner Tandy, for instance, was the first registered African-American architect in New York and his best-known works include the Villa Lewaro, designed for the nation’s first African-American woman millionaire, and the Ivy Delph Apartments, which is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Amaza Lee Meredith’s Azurest South combines international style and avant-garde design and is one of the few buildings to be constructed in this style in the state of Virginia. Paul Revere Williams was an acclaimed architect who built homes for leading celebrities of his time, including Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball. Some of his other notable works include the El Mirador Hotels and Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles. The Getty Research Institute recently obtained the archive of Williams’ work from his granddaughter, ensuring that it will be kept safe for future generations.
Androsky Lugo is the first to admit that more must be done to include and celebrate African-American architects and their designs. He notes that, sadly, only about 2% of registered architects in the United States are African-American and fewer than 1% of these architects are African-American women. Notable African-American architects have spoken up about the feeling of not being fully included by others in their profession.
Even though segregation is a thing of the past, some of the designs they had to study in university were created by architects deliberately trying to keep non-white people out; furthermore, the notable works of outstanding African-American architects, such as those mentioned above, were not covered in their classes. Even so, these dedicated professionals continue to work hard in their fields, designing and creating outstanding buildings to provide shelter, accommodations, and other needed services to people of all ages and walks of life.
African-American architecture has much to offer, A Alberto Lugo notes. He fervently hopes that the recent Getty Foundation grant will help African-American architectural designs to gain the prominence they deserved all along and inspire other African-Americans interested in the architectural industry to follow in their footsteps. He also hopes it will broaden the horizons of current architects from all ethnic backgrounds, stimulating innovation and inspiring architects with new ideas and ways of doing things that could improve construction in their local communities.
