This February, we celebrate Black History Month and the contributions Black people have made in the field of architecture through design, education, and the planning of communities across the United States and beyond.

Below you will find a list of resources, literature, and trailblazing figures that highlight Black people in architecture including pioneering accomplishments of Black architects and the fight for equality.

Resources

Books

  • African American Architects: A Biographical Dictionary, 1865-1945 by Dreck Spurlock Wilson
  • Black Built: History and Architecture in the Black Community by Paul A. Wellington
  • The Black Skyscraper: Architecture and the Perception of Race by Adrienne Brown
  • African American Architects: Embracing Culture and Building Urban Communities by Melvin L. Mitchell
  • Race and Real Estate by Adrienne Brown and Valerie Smith
  • Race and Modern Architecture: A Critical History from the Enlightenment to the Present by Irene Cheng, Charles L. Davis II, Mabel O. Wilson

Source: AIA Central Valley

Historical Figures