Black History Month 2026 | Art & Design Series
In my first post of this series, I shared my discovery of Augusta Savage and my desire to slow down and truly learn the stories behind the names we sometimes pass over. This series is my way of marking 100 years since Black history was formally recognized through Negro History Week, founded by Carter G. Woodson. It is not about presenting myself as an expert. It is about learning out loud.
This week, I found myself researching Paul Revere Williams.
I knew he was an architect. I did not know what that really meant in the context of his life.
Paul Revere Williams became one of the most successful residential architects in America. He designed homes for Hollywood elites. Grand estates. Spaces meant for rest, privacy, and beauty. He mastered elegance.
And yet, he trained himself to draw upside down so white clients would not have to sit next to him. He would sit across the table and sketch from their perspective to make them more comfortable.
I cannot stop thinking about that.
What does it mean to design comfort for others while adjusting yourself to make them comfortable with your presence?
As I kept reading, I discovered something else that is not talked about as often.
He did not only design for Hollywood. During segregation in Los Angeles, he designed homes for successful Black doctors, business owners, and entertainers whose choices were limited by housing discrimination... We do know most affluent Black families were restricted to certain neighborhoods because of racial covenants like red-lining. Within those boundaries, Williams helped shape the residential enclaves where Black families built stability.
He is believed to have worked with entertainer Ethel Waters, one of the highest-paid Black performers of her time. Later in his career, he even designed for Frankie Lymon. These homes were not just personal spaces. They represented progress in a country that tried to contain it.
He also contributed to the design of the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Building in Los Angeles. Golden State Mutual was one of the most important Black-owned financial institutions in the West. That building represented Black ownership, Black wealth, and permanence during a time when access was restricted.
He moved between two Americas. Designing estates in neighborhoods that often barred Black residents. Helping shape institutions and homes that supported Black advancement.
There is no neat ending here.
Just questions.
Whose hands literally build the spaces of comfort and rest? And who is afforded comfort and rest?
Black History Month is not only about celebration. It is about sitting with truth. It is about recognizing our brilliance without softening the reality around it.
I am still learning. I invite you to keep learning with me.
Click below if you want to explore more about Paul Revere Williams:
Paul R. Williams Project Archive
https://www.paulrwilliamsproject.org
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