By the time he was asked to design
Williamsburg Lane, Williams had
established himself as the "architect
to the stars," designing fine custom
residences for the likes of Cary Grant,
Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball and Desi
Arnaz, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Anthony
Quinn, among others.
Before further considering Williams'
South Bay projects, it's worth
exploring how he began working in
an industry that, in the late 1920s, was
dominated by white men.
"From the start of Los Angeles history
until after World War II, the African-
American population was 3 percent
or less," says Leslie Luebbers, director
of the Art Museum of the University
of Memphis and project director
of the university's Paul R. Williams
Project, which was founded in 2006
to build public awareness of Williams'
legacy. "After the second World War,
California saw incoming populations
from the South and Midwest, where
race was an issue. California had
nothing to do with that."
The Golden State's more relaxed
attitude toward race, Luebbers
says, may have been one reason
Williams was able to begin practicing
architecture right out of high school in
1912. "We have information on projects
he was designing in 1914," she says.
Williams attended USC's School of
Engineering, and in 1921 he became
the first African-American west of
the Mississippi to be certified as an
architect. "He started his own practice
in L.A. in 1923, and by then he had
quite a few mentors in the white
community," Luebbers relates.
"That same year, he became the first
African-American member of the
American Institute of Architects," she
continues. "He lucked out because
he was in the right place at the right
time. On the other hand, he was not
only a very talented architect, but
he had a high social intellect, he was
engaging, he was not pushy, and he
worked harder than everyone else."
[ P A U L R E V E R E W I L L I A M S ]
1 WILLIAMSBURG LANE, ROLLING HILLS CURRENTLY LISTED for sale by the inman team | rollinghillshomes.com
ARCHITECT | DESIGN | BUILD 12.19.2014 111
