The Directory of African American Architects

Jul 31, 2008 We are sorry to learn that Atlanta Architect, Ollis Townes, Jr. passed away July 24th. The services will be held on Friday, August 1, 2008 at Cascade United Methodist Church at 11am. The Wake will be held on Thursday, July 31, 2008 at Watkins Funeral Home. Our condolences to his family.

Jul 14, 2008 We were very saddened to learn of the passing of Wendell Campbell, FAIA and one on the founders of NOMA. Our deepest condolences to his wife, June, and daughter Susan. I met Mr. Campbell at my first NOMA meeting in Atlanta in the early 1990s. As a "white guy" working with my friend and colleague Brad Grant, Mr. Campbell treated me as a new friend and was always willing to help me in my work. I especially remember having dinner with him at the NOMA conference in Miami. When the check came I reached for my wallet to pay my share and he would have nothing of it. Mr. Campbell was a gentleman and like his good friend, Harold Williams, he was a modest person who respected everyone. I wish there were more Wendell Campbells in the world.

Feb 28, 2008 CONGRATULATIONS to Charles Cassell and Diane Hoskins, both Washington DC architects, for their elevation to Fellow in the American Institute of Architects.

Jan 31, 2008 Congratulations to Phil Freelon, FAIA ,for being named Designer of the year by CONTRACT Magazine. See the full story at http://www.csnews.com/contract/design_news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003701943

Jan 28, 2008 We are saddened to learn of the passing of Arthur Silvers, architect. Mr. Silvers, who designed structures throughout California and also worked to end discrimination in housing and employment, died Jan. 18 of pulmonary fibrosis at a hospital in Santa Monica, according to his son John. He was 77. For many years, Silvers worked with Robert Kennard, a prominent African American architect in Los Angeles. The men belonged to a post-World War II generation of architects whose work represented a break from traditional, European-influenced design. Silvers and Kennard were modernists whose influences were Richard Neutra and Victor Gruen, said Kennard's daughter Gail Kennard, who is president of Kennard Design Group. See the remainder of the Los Angeles Times article at http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-silvers26jan26,0,5648965.story

Jan 22, 2008 It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Charles Grant Lewis on Sunday January 20, 2008. He passed away at the age of 59, in his home, surrounded by family. (His wife Dori, his mother Mrs. Lewis, and his son Ryan w/ wife Adrian). Memorial/Funeral arrangements have not been finalized at the moment. Tentative arrangements are as follows: Service and visitation Sat. January 26, 2008 Chapel of the Chimes 4499 Piedmont Ave. Oakland, Ca 94611 510.645.1288 or 510.645.012

Jan 5, 2008 CONGRATULATIONS to Maurice Cox for his appointment as Director of Design for the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA).

Dec 21, 2007 Norma Sklarek, FAIA, will receive the 2008 Whitney M. Young Jr. Award. The first African-American woman to become a registered architect and an AIA Fellow, Sklarek received the AIA’s premiere social action award for her long record of quality architecture and legacy as a pioneer in the profession. See the following: http://www.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek07/1221/1221n_whitney.cfm CONGRATULATIONS!

Sep 12, 2007 BRADFORD GRANT is the new Associate Dean and Professor at Howard University. Congratulations to Brad and best of luck in your new position.

Jan 21, 2007 We are proud to announce that THE DIRECTORY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN ARCHITECTS has received a 2007 AIA Award for Collaborative Achievement. The Directory of African American Architects, established in 1991 by two faculty, Professor Bradford Grant, chair of Architecture at Hampton University, and Dennis Mann, Professor of Architecture at the University of Cincinnati, have garnered an Institute Honor for Collaborative Achievement for its success in advancing “the visibility, representation, and contributions of African-American architects,” in the words of its founding collaborators. The directory lists more than 1,500 African-American architects who practice in the private and public sectors, teach in higher education, or work outside the profession and still maintain licensure. The listing, with its series of highlight studies, continues to expand and now includes a Web site [http://blackarch.uc.edu] and a comparable listing of landscape architects. Noting the directory’s immediate usefulness, J. Max Bond Jr., FAIA, writes in support of the nomination: “The Directory’s existence helped give a presence to African-American architects. It helped people contact each other and thus helped to reinforce the creation of a community of Architects.”