I Am an Architect

Paul R. Williams, FAIA (1894-1980), was one of the most prolific Black architects of the twentieth century. He had strong ties to Southern California and the city of Los Angeles, yet his impact was undoubtedly global. I am an ARchitect presents the first research-based, archivally driven monograph on this pivotal yet underrecognized figure. Threading together Williams's biography, social histories of Los Angeles, and transformations in the profession, this volume traces the architect's extraordinary career, from early residential commissions during Los Angeles's housing boom of the 1920s to his civic, religious, commercial, and cultural landmarks that came to define the city's identity at midcentury. It examines Williams's career-long commitment to creating space for and with Black communities as well as his national and international reach. Drawing upon Paul R. Williams's archive and including nearly 200 images, I Am an Architect reproduces diverse materials from the architect's extensive oeuvre-including drawings, prints, and hand-colored renderings-that have been largely unavailable until now. Ultimately, this book reveals how Williams reimagined public housing, residential design, and commercial and civic spaces with the belief that architecture could advance social progress.