Bricks and Mortar: Black Architect Heads AIA
With prohibitive educational expenses and time commitments, the field of architecture still looks much like it did in the early fifties. According to at least one source over 80% of U.S. architects are white males and less than one percent are African-American women. With these statistics, it's no wonder that the recent election of Marshall E. Purnell as the 2008 AIA president is such big news. Until now, the AIA has never been headed by a black architect in its history. We figure Purnell is one of only 1602 black architects in the land and is half of the Washington D.C.-based firm Devrouax + Purnell, responsible for such noted landmarks as the Howard University Information Lab, The African-American Civil War memorial, and the Potomac power and water company in Washington D.C.
It may seem outdated to have a catalog of black professionals in any field. How often do people go looking for an African-American doctor or dentist in the 21st century? There's an underlying assumption that the notion of being a professional has erased the notion of race, and many black professionals concede this point, choosing to focus more on their skills than on their race. It seems an almost antiquated notion to think of "The first black…" anything anymore. Except in the realm of architecture.
Purnell will be walking with tall fellows. The current president of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture is Ted Landsmark. If you don't know him from his architectural work, you may recognize him from this picture. He's the one about to get hit. And Mr. Landsmark was preceded in his position by Mr. Bradford Grant, chair of the premiere HBCU architectural master's program. It seems that today, if one wishes to be an African-American in architecture, one must be as strong and dedicated as Landsmark, as steadfast as Mr. Grant, and as innovative as Mr. Purnell. We here at Code Z salute not only these men, but all African-Americans making their way in the field of architecture.
29 June 2007