Thought partially lost in a 1992 fire during the civil unrest after the Rodney King verdicts, the archive of renowned architect Paul R. Williams was recently acquired by the Getty Research Institute and the University of Southern California (USC) School of Architecture.

The archive consists of original drawings, renderings and photos, magazines, and other records spanning Williams’ impactful career. More than just an archive of his work, this collection represents a window into the important impact he had on the architectural community, in Los Angeles, and around the world—an impact that only a handful of architects practicing at that time in history can claim. Paul R. Williams was simply in a class of his own: an accomplished architect – and the first licensed Black architect west of the Mississippi – who helped shape the Southern California aesthetic as a leading practitioner of mid-century modern design.

The Los Angeles Chapter of the AIA, the Los Angeles District Council of the Urban Land Institute (ULI-LA) and So Cal NOMA, along with USC Architecture and Getty Research Institute (GRI), are proud to be in collaboration on a three-part curated series of programs that will help us better understand Paul R. Williams’ work and his impact on our community.

On Thursday, November 12, 2020, Christopher Hawthorne, Chief Design Officer for the City of Los Angeles, kicked off the series, leading a panel discussion between Dean Milton Curry (USC School of Architecture), Maristella Casciato (Architecture Special Collections, Getty Research Institute), and LeRonn P. Brooks (Modern and Contemporary Collections, Getty Research Institute), on the legacy and impact of the rediscovered archive of Paul R. Williams. Please see below for a recording of the webinar.