Male, US, born 1894-02-18, died 1980-01-23
Associated with the firms network
Southeast Housing Architects, Associated; Stanton, Stockwell, Williams and Wilson, Associated Architects; Williams, Paul R. and Associates; Williams, Paul R., AIA; Williams, Paul R., Architect and Consultant; Williams, Paul R., FAIA
Draftsman, Wilbur D. Cook, Jr., Landscape Architect, Los Angeles, CA, 1913.
Draftsman, Reginald D. Johnson, Architect, Los Angeles, CA, 1914-1917.
Draftsman/Designer, Arthur F. Kelly, Architect, Los Angeles, CA, 1917-1921.
Designer/Chief Draftsman, John C.W. Austin, Architect, Los Angeles, CA, 1921-1924. According to the Paul Williams Project.org, "...Paul R. Williams worked at John C. Austin's firm primarily designing commercial buildings. Eventually he became Chief Draftsman with a staff of twenty. In 1921 Paul R. Williams passed the State of California's architectural licensing examination and shortly after opened his own office. He continued to work for Austin until he developed his own client base. Williams maintained his relationship with Austin and collaborated with him throughout the years." (See "Young Paul R. Williams,"
Principal, Paul R. Williams, Architect, Los Angeles, CA.
Professional Service
Williams became a Registered Architect in the State of CA in 1921. He was the first Afircan-American man to become a Registered Architect.
When surveyed in 1955, he indicated that he was a registered architect in CA, DC and NY; when surveyed in 1962, Williams indicated that he was a registered architect in CA, DC, NY, and TN.
Governor Earl Warren (1891-1974) appointed Williams to a new five-person State Urban Redevelopment Commission in late 1947; others on the commission were planner, L. Deming Tilton of San Francisco, Howard Nichols of Bakersfield, Howard C. Gampen of San Jose, and Festus T. McDounough of Los Angeles.
Professional Awards
Fellow, American Institute of Architects (FAIA) for Public Service, 1957.
Honorary Member, Sigma Pi Phi, Moega Psi Phi, and Grand Boule;
Recipient, Spingarn Medal, National Association of Colored People (NAACP), 1953; the Springarm Medal was an award "...that singles out Negroes who have made an unusual contribution to community life." (See "The Spingarn Award," New York Times, 06/28/1953, p. E8)
Recipient, AIA, Gold Medal, 2017. This medal, the highest individual honor bestowed by the AIA, was awarded posthumously, 37 years after the architect's death.
Archives
The Paul R. Williams Papers are housed at the Art Museum of the University of Memphis (AMUM). The AMUM has an on-going research effort surrounding Williams's life and career, known as the "Paul R. Williams Project."
Elementary School/High School/College
Williams attended the Sentous Avenue Elementary School, Los Angeles, CA; Diploma, Polytechnic High School, Los Angeles, CA, 1912. Studio work, Society of Beaux Arts Architects of California, Los Angeles, CA, 1913-1916; Course in architectural engineering, University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles, CA.
Relocation
Williams was born in Los Angeles, CA; where his parents had recently migrated from Memphis, TN.
He died in Los Angeles County, CA, at the age of 85;
Parents
His parents were Chester Stanley Williams, Sr and Lila A. Wright Williams. They both had migrated from Memphis, TN, several years before Paul's birth in 1894, where Chester worked as a waiter in the first Peabody Hotel's dining room. On arrival in Los Angeles, Chester took the opportunity to work for himself, and he opened a fruit stand at the Old Town Plaza. Paul had an older brother, Chester, Jr., who had been born at the Peabody Hotel. (See Paul R. Williams Project, "About the Project," accessed 06/26/2015.)
Spouse
He married Della Mae Givens Williams (1895-1996). According to the California Death Index, Della Williams had been born in MO and died in Los Angeles County. (See "Della Mae Givens Williams," California Death Index, accessed 03/17/2015.)
Children
When surveyed in 1955, Williams indicated that he had had two children, his daughters, Marilyn and Norma. Karen Hudson was one granddaughter, who wrote the book, Paul R. Williams, Architect, (New York: Rizzoli, 1993). Hudson has been responsible for a great deal of scholarship that has been done on her grandfather.
Personal Notes
Williams was one the pioneering African-American architects in California, the most successful during the first half of the 20th century. He was known as "P.R." to some of his employees; Williams served on a small committee of the American Institute of Architects, Southern California Chapter, advising movie producers on the film, "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House," in 1947. Paul R. Williams participated in a New York Herald-Tribune Forum held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in 1953, on "relationship between American industry and art, and the influence of mechanization on cultural values in the United States...." Williams, along with Henry Dreyfuss, industrial designer, Arthur A. Houghton, Jr., President of Steuben Glass, Incorporated, Charles E. Odegaard, Dean of the College of Literature, Science and Arts, University of MI, and Francis Henry Taylor, Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; this forum was carried live on WNYC-FM radio. In 1959, Williams was one of 44 Republicans chosen to draft a statement of policy and objectives for the Republican Party. He was referred to as "Paul R. Williams, Los Angeles architect and Negro leader." SSN: 567-20-8337.
PCAD id: 68