Master Architects of Southern California
1920-1940: Paul R. Williams
Join us as Stephen Gee shares the wonderful work of Paul R. Williams
Date | Time
Thursday, April 15 | 7 PM
Register in advance using the form to the right.
About this Event
Join us as writer, historian, and television producer Stephen Gee discusses the work and innovation of celebrated Los Angeles architect Paul Revere Williams, FAIA. During his presentation, the author of Master Architects of Southern California 1920-1940: Paul R. Williams (Tailwater Press/Angel City Press, 2021) will focus on the improbable career of the pioneering architect, the first African American member of the American Institute of Architects and the organization’s first African-American Fellow and Gold Medalist. In his six-decade career, Williams worked on more than 3,000 projects ranging from modest affordable housing to mansions for Hollywood celebrities. He also earned plaudits for his commercial and civic work, including the luxurious department store Saks Fifth Avenue (with John and Donald B. Parkinson, 1937) and the Music Corporation of America building (1940), both in Beverly Hills.
The Master Architects of Southern California 1920-1940 series showcases the work of 12 architects featured in early issues of Architectural Digest. Williams is the fourth architect in the series, which includes Gordon B. Kaufmann, FAIA, Roland E. Coate, FAIA, and Wallace Neff, FAIA.
About Stephen Gee
Stephen Gee is a writer and television producer based in Los Angeles. He is the author of Iconic Vision: John Parkinson, Architect of Los Angeles (2013), and co-author, with Arnold Schwartzman, of Los Angeles Central Library: A History of its Art and Architecture (2016). Most recently Stephen authored Los Angeles City Hall: An American Icon (2018).
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