The architectural legacy of Paul Revere Williams, California's first licensed Black architect, is being celebrated in a trio of new exhibitions across Los Angeles. Williams, who died in 1980, completed an estimated 3,000 projects over six decades, significantly shaping the city's landscape.
His extensive portfolio ranged from single-family residences and commercial buildings to affordable housing projects and the Los Angeles County Courthouse. Williams also designed opulent homes for celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Barbara Stanwyck, Lucille Ball, and Desi Arnaz, and led the renovation of the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel.
The first of these exhibitions opens today, 18 August, at the USC Fisher Museum of Art, focusing on his archival drawings alongside contemporary art. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art will track the overall scope of his work, while the Getty Research Institute will explore his contributions to Black Los Angeles. These shows mark the first major retrospective for any Black architect.