Paul R. Williams’ parents moved from Memphis to a small L.A. neighborhood surrounded by orange grove to recover from tuberculosis, which ultimately left him orphaned at four years old. He was taught in a school without other Black students or faculty. There isn’t much information about what motivated Williams to be an architect, as he didn't seem to have any architects in his life or in his social circle, but he did have a natural inclination for drawing. His high school guidance counselor advised against his pursuit of architecture saying, “He should not try to be an architect. He should be a doctor or a lawyer because Black people would always need doctors and lawyers. And white people would not hire him as an architect and Black people couldn’t afford him.”
Despite the lack of support from his community, Williams became an architect.
Williams did not attend an architecture school, but studied both art and engineering and put together the skills that he needed to be an architect. He put together a portfolio and earned certification for being a contractor first. He began physically going to firms and asking them to look at his portfolio, through persistence and going back to these firms every morning he was eventually offered an unpaid position. He took it and within the first week of his work there the firm paid him. He had three different positions at three different firms before he was able to get licensed to be an architect in California. Soon after, William’s started his own firm to create his first project; a commission for a friend from high-school.
His work represents the glamor of Southern California, as one of his trademarks was an extravagant curving staircase. Williams had many celebrity clients, such as Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, as well as Cary Grant.
William’s granddaughter has written about how he made, “pragmatic adjustments to the reality of Racism of the day.” For example, he learned to draw upside down so his clients could sit across from him as not to make white clients feel uncomfortable sitting directly next to him. When touring the construction sites of the homes he designed he would keep his hands behind his back as people would not feel pressured to shake his hand. Many of the projects that he built were built in neighborhoods that he was not allowed to live in due to his race. According to his granddaughter, “By law, he could not live in some of the places [where he designed homes]. Particularly in Flintridge, where he designed his first home in his own office, the land deed said a black person could not even spend the night."
Throughout William's career, he helped create what is known as the "Hollywood style," defined by an eclectic collection of different styles designed to express luxury and opulence. As Roman Mars from 99% Invisible describes, "That opulent mixture of Mediterranean, European, and Colonial influences with swimming pools and sweeping staircases. It was rich but classy, opulent but tasteful.”
Williams’ granddaughter has started a project collecting and documenting the work of Williams, as he was one of the most prolific architects of the time, designing over 2,500 buildings in his career. Many of these projects remain undocumented so the project serves to create a record to honor and study William's incredible life.
References
https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-architect-of-hollywood/
https://www.paulrwilliamsproject.org/
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