USC museum among three major L.A. art institutions to celebrate architect Paul R. Williams

Beginning in August and continuing through July 2027, three major Los Angeles art institutions — the Getty, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the USC Fisher Museum of Art — will present a coordinated series of exhibitions celebrating the life and work of groundbreaking architect Paul R. Williams.

A pivotal yet long-underrecognized figure in 20th-century architecture and civil rights advocacy, Williams was the first Black architect licensed west of the Mississippi, the first Black member of the American Institute of Architects nationwide, and the first Black architect to be awarded the AIA’s highest honor, the Gold Medal, in 2017.

Williams was born Feb. 18,  1894, and earned his USC degree in 1919. Over a career spanning nearly six decades, he designed more than 3,000 projects, making him one of the most prolific and influential architects of his time. He died in 1980.

Treasures from the Paul R. Williams Archive

Drawing from the Paul R. Williams Archive, which was jointly acquired in 2020 by the USC School of Architecture and the Getty Research Institute, the exhibitions present architectural drawings, photographs, plans and memorabilia, many on view for the first time. Together, they reveal Williams’ role as both a central figure in the canon of global modern architecture and a socially conscious practitioner whose work profoundly reshaped Los Angeles.

“Few architects are as deeply woven into the fabric of Los Angeles as Paul Revere Williams,” said Bethany Montagano, USC Museums director. “His buildings helped define the city’s character and continue to shape the way we experience it today. These three exhibitions positions him where he belongs, at the center of California’s architectural legacy.”

Williams designed iconic projects for institutions and clients ranging from the Beverly Hills Hotel to the U.S. Navy, alongside extravagant homes for Hollywood stars such as Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball.

Equally significant was his work for and with L.A.’s Black community, including First African Methodist Episcopal Church, Second Baptist Church and the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Co. — buildings that fostered communal strength and financial opportunity during an era of racialized segregation and exclusion.

Williams also collaborated on major civic projects like the Civic Center and the Los Angeles International Airport, and he served on L.A.’s City Planning Commission, the California State Redevelopment Agency and the Federal Advisory Committee on Government Housing Policies and Programs. Williams’ impactful work garnered him the prestigious NAACP Spingarn Medal, honorary doctorates from Howard University and the Tuskegee Institute, and USC School of Architecture’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

Paul R. Williams exhibition details

Paul R. Williams: An Architect Considered
USC Fisher Museum of Art
Aug. 18, 2026-March 13, 2027
Organized jointly by the USC School of Architecture and the USC Fisher Museum of Art, this exhibition examines Paul R. Williams’ major contributions to modern multifamily housing. It pairs original archival drawings with newly commissioned works by contemporary artists and architects. Highlighting 35 housing projects from Williams’ 60-year career, the show emphasizes the designer’s sustained commitment to innovative, dignified solutions for collective living during a period of rapid urbanization. Seven new commissions — by Edgar Arceneaux; Current Interests (Matthew Au and Mira Henry); enFOLD Collective (Dana McKinney White and Megan Echols); Darell W. Fields; David Hartt; Cory Henry; and Amanda Williams — extend Williams’ legacy into the present, offering fresh perspectives on his influence on architectural history and modern housing.

Guest curators: Valery Augustin, Milton S. F. Curry and Amy Murphy. Significant funding has been provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Paul R. Williams: Architect for Living
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Nov. 15, 2026-May 23, 2027
The exhibit demonstrates the impressive breadth of Williams’ contributions, showcasing never-before-exhibited drawings and photographs from his archive. Curators: Staci Steinberger and Sarah Locke.

Paul R. Williams: Architecture Across the Color Line
Getty Research Institute
Dec. 15, 2026-July 18, 2027
Marking the public debut of his archive, this exhibition examines the impact of Williams’ architecture in challenging systems of racialized exclusion, offering an intimate portrait of life, hope and possibility coursing through the collective construction of the architecture of Black Los Angeles. It attests to architecture’s capacity to give rise to community, to construct social opportunities and to give shape to Black spatial imaginaries — legacies that extend to this day.

Curators: LeRonn P. Brooks, Maristella Casciato, Gary Riichirō Fox and Alex Jones