Meet Paul Revere Williams, Architect to Hollywood Stars
The posthumous AIA Gold Medal winner, born 125 years ago, designed homes for Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball and others
Erin Carlyle
February 18, 2019
Former Houzz Editorial Staff. Writing about the cost of renovation and what it takes to remodel. Former Forbes real estate reporter. Fascinated by cool homes, watching the bottom line.
Former Houzz Editorial Staff. Writing about the cost of renovation and what it takes... More
Today, Feb. 18, is the birthday of the great American architect Paul Revere Williams, who designed for the stars during the Golden Age of Hollywood. For much of his career, Williams was not allowed to live in many of the neighborhoods where he designed for his clients — because he was African-American.
Two years ago, in 2017, Williams was posthumously awarded the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal, the institute’s highest honor. He was the first African-American to achieve this award. This year marks the 125th anniversary of Williams’ birth.
Two years ago, in 2017, Williams was posthumously awarded the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal, the institute’s highest honor. He was the first African-American to achieve this award. This year marks the 125th anniversary of Williams’ birth.
A portrait of Paul R. Williams at age 23 was published in the June 1917 issue of The Crisis, the official publication of the NAACP.
During a career spanning half a century, Williams (1894-1980) designed about 3,000 buildings, most of them private residences. His work in Southern California includes homes for entertainers Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Bert Lahr and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, as well as cigar tycoon Jacob “Jay” Paley and transportation magnate Errett Lobban Cord.
During a career spanning half a century, Williams (1894-1980) designed about 3,000 buildings, most of them private residences. His work in Southern California includes homes for entertainers Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Bert Lahr and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, as well as cigar tycoon Jacob “Jay” Paley and transportation magnate Errett Lobban Cord.
The iconic sign at the Beverly Hills Hotel was part of the Crescent wing addition that Williams completed in 1949. Photo from the Dorchester Collection
Commercial projects include the theme building at Los Angeles International Airport and many additions to and redesigns at the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel. Williams also designed St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee; public housing projects, department stores and clubs in California; and hotels in Colombia.
Williams was orphaned at the age of 4 and raised by a foster mother who encouraged his artistic talents. But during his years at Polytechnic High School in L.A., a teacher discouraged Williams from pursuing architecture. “He stared at me with as much astonishment as he would have had I proposed a rocket flight to Mars,” Williams recalled in Paul R. Williams, Architect: A Legacy of Style by Karen E. Hudson, Williams’ granddaughter.
With this challenge, Williams was forced at a young age to confront how his race might hinder his professional goals. He later wrote that the incident led him to a conclusion: “I have arrived at a turning point in my entire life. If I allow the fact that I am a Negro to checkmate my will to do, now, I will inevitably form the habit of being defeated,” he recounts in Hudson’s book.
Williams resolved to succeed. He gained experience in landscaping, town planning, residential design, and school and commercial work. By 1922, when he was 28, he opened his own practice in the Los Angeles Stock Exchange Building and quickly gained commissions. In 1923, he became the first African-American member of the American Institute of Architects.
Commercial projects include the theme building at Los Angeles International Airport and many additions to and redesigns at the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel. Williams also designed St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee; public housing projects, department stores and clubs in California; and hotels in Colombia.
Williams was orphaned at the age of 4 and raised by a foster mother who encouraged his artistic talents. But during his years at Polytechnic High School in L.A., a teacher discouraged Williams from pursuing architecture. “He stared at me with as much astonishment as he would have had I proposed a rocket flight to Mars,” Williams recalled in Paul R. Williams, Architect: A Legacy of Style by Karen E. Hudson, Williams’ granddaughter.
With this challenge, Williams was forced at a young age to confront how his race might hinder his professional goals. He later wrote that the incident led him to a conclusion: “I have arrived at a turning point in my entire life. If I allow the fact that I am a Negro to checkmate my will to do, now, I will inevitably form the habit of being defeated,” he recounts in Hudson’s book.
Williams resolved to succeed. He gained experience in landscaping, town planning, residential design, and school and commercial work. By 1922, when he was 28, he opened his own practice in the Los Angeles Stock Exchange Building and quickly gained commissions. In 1923, he became the first African-American member of the American Institute of Architects.
This Williams-designed Mediterranean home was built in L.A.’s Hancock Park area in 1926, when African-Americans were banned from living in the neighborhood. Photo by Marni Epstein-Mervis
Williams created small, affordable homes for new homeowners and large period-revival homes for more affluent clients. By the 1930s, he had firmly established himself as a society architect, yet he lived in a relatively modest home in an unrestricted neighborhood. At the time, restrictive covenants throughout L.A. prevented African-Americans from living in some neighborhoods.
“Today I sketched the preliminary plans for a large country house which will be erected in one of the most beautiful residential districts in the world, a district of roomy estates, entrancing vistas and stately mansions. Sometimes I have dreamed of living there. I could afford such a home,” Williams wrote in “I Am a Negro,” an article in the July 1937 issue of The American Magazine. “But this evening, leaving my office, I returned to my own small, inexpensive home in an unrestricted, comparatively undesirable section of Los Angeles … because … I am a Negro.”
Williams created small, affordable homes for new homeowners and large period-revival homes for more affluent clients. By the 1930s, he had firmly established himself as a society architect, yet he lived in a relatively modest home in an unrestricted neighborhood. At the time, restrictive covenants throughout L.A. prevented African-Americans from living in some neighborhoods.
“Today I sketched the preliminary plans for a large country house which will be erected in one of the most beautiful residential districts in the world, a district of roomy estates, entrancing vistas and stately mansions. Sometimes I have dreamed of living there. I could afford such a home,” Williams wrote in “I Am a Negro,” an article in the July 1937 issue of The American Magazine. “But this evening, leaving my office, I returned to my own small, inexpensive home in an unrestricted, comparatively undesirable section of Los Angeles … because … I am a Negro.”
Built in 1929, this English Tudor in the Hancock Park neighborhood shows one of the many architectural styles that Williams worked in. He designed this and other buildings to fit his clients’ varied tastes. Photo by Marni Epstein-Mervis
In 1948, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the restrictive covenants preventing African-Americans, Asians, Jews and even actors from living in certain L.A. developments, including Lafayette Square, which was at the time an upper-middle-class white neighborhood. The neighborhood was now open to anyone who could afford it.
Read about other noteworthy homes
In 1948, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the restrictive covenants preventing African-Americans, Asians, Jews and even actors from living in certain L.A. developments, including Lafayette Square, which was at the time an upper-middle-class white neighborhood. The neighborhood was now open to anyone who could afford it.
Read about other noteworthy homes
The contemporary-style home that Williams designed for his family in Lafayette Square is being restored. This photo shows how it looked prior to the start of restoration. Photo by Downtowngal
Williams chose a corner lot in Lafayette Square and crafted a home, pictured here, unlike any of his other projects. “He made sure he designed something that was one-of-a-kind for himself,” says Hudson, who has written three books about her grandfather’s work.
The home’s contemporary style made it stand out from the other homes in the neighborhood. At the time, they were a mix of Craftsman, Italianate Villa, Spanish Colonial Revival and American Colonial Revival.
In 1951, Williams and his wife, Della, moved in. By that time, he was 57, and his two daughters were grown and out of the house.
Inside the Williams home, the foyer featured a curved staircase with gazelles leaping up the railing. (Notable staircases were a frequent element of Williams’ designs.) The main floor had a lanai that opened onto the garden; the room was fashioned after one that Williams had seen in Jamaica, Hudson says. The living room was finished in wood, marble and stone, and Williams used a favored color, green, throughout the home. The family’s live-in help ran the kitchen, which Hudson describes as “I Love Lucy goes to Hollywood,” with a black-and-white checked floor.
Williams and his wife were active in the local African-American community and frequently entertained in their home. Guests included diplomat Ralph Bunche, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his mediation work in the 1949 Armistice Agreements in the Middle East; politician William Hastie, the first African-American governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands; and Edward Brooke, the first African-American to be elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote.
The Los Angeles Times society pages documented the Williamses’ hospitality in June 1960, when writer Joan Winchell covered a Women’s Architectural League of Southern California reception for newly licensed architects at the residence. “Since Mr. Williams is one of our town’s most prominent architects, the first thing we noticed was his home — subdued modern, luxuriously appointed and pleasing to the eye. Their favorite color is soft pistachio, from the telephones to the piano.… It was a most memorable experience. We didn’t know a soul on arrival but left with the feeling that many hostesses could take lessons from Mrs. Paul Williams on being a genuine, simpatico hostess.”
Despite the Williamses’ frequent entertaining, the home intentionally lacked a guest room. “My grandmother thought it was important for it to be his sanctuary,” Hudson says. “If you came to town, they’d pay for you to be in a hotel.” They’d entertain guests in their home, but when it was time to retire for the evening, only the Williamses remained.
Read about other midcentury homes
Williams chose a corner lot in Lafayette Square and crafted a home, pictured here, unlike any of his other projects. “He made sure he designed something that was one-of-a-kind for himself,” says Hudson, who has written three books about her grandfather’s work.
The home’s contemporary style made it stand out from the other homes in the neighborhood. At the time, they were a mix of Craftsman, Italianate Villa, Spanish Colonial Revival and American Colonial Revival.
In 1951, Williams and his wife, Della, moved in. By that time, he was 57, and his two daughters were grown and out of the house.
Inside the Williams home, the foyer featured a curved staircase with gazelles leaping up the railing. (Notable staircases were a frequent element of Williams’ designs.) The main floor had a lanai that opened onto the garden; the room was fashioned after one that Williams had seen in Jamaica, Hudson says. The living room was finished in wood, marble and stone, and Williams used a favored color, green, throughout the home. The family’s live-in help ran the kitchen, which Hudson describes as “I Love Lucy goes to Hollywood,” with a black-and-white checked floor.
Williams and his wife were active in the local African-American community and frequently entertained in their home. Guests included diplomat Ralph Bunche, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his mediation work in the 1949 Armistice Agreements in the Middle East; politician William Hastie, the first African-American governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands; and Edward Brooke, the first African-American to be elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote.
The Los Angeles Times society pages documented the Williamses’ hospitality in June 1960, when writer Joan Winchell covered a Women’s Architectural League of Southern California reception for newly licensed architects at the residence. “Since Mr. Williams is one of our town’s most prominent architects, the first thing we noticed was his home — subdued modern, luxuriously appointed and pleasing to the eye. Their favorite color is soft pistachio, from the telephones to the piano.… It was a most memorable experience. We didn’t know a soul on arrival but left with the feeling that many hostesses could take lessons from Mrs. Paul Williams on being a genuine, simpatico hostess.”
Despite the Williamses’ frequent entertaining, the home intentionally lacked a guest room. “My grandmother thought it was important for it to be his sanctuary,” Hudson says. “If you came to town, they’d pay for you to be in a hotel.” They’d entertain guests in their home, but when it was time to retire for the evening, only the Williamses remained.
Read about other midcentury homes
“Portrait of Paul R. Williams” by Betsy Graves Reyneau. Photo from Peter Edward Fayard, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, gift of the Harmon Foundation
That Williams was able to have such a prolific career in an era of widespread racism speaks not only to his talent and determination, but also to his sensitivity to working with people. The architect learned to draw upside down so that white clients could remain at a distance across his desk, and he extended his hand for a handshake only if a white client initiated the gesture.
Williams also was sensitive to the personal styles of his clients. When Cord, the transportation magnate, called and asked him to immediately come to view his site (an unusual request), Williams obliged. “On the strength of our telephone conversation, I judged that he worshiped prompt action,” Williams later wrote. The businessman told Williams that he was considering several architects and demanded to know how soon Williams could deliver plans. Every other architect had asked for two to three weeks, but Williams promised them by 4 p.m. the next day. “I delivered those preliminary plans by the scheduled hour — but I did not tell him that I had worked for 22 hours, without sleeping or eating,” Williams later wrote.
Built in 1933, the Cord project firmly established Williams as a society architect, and his practice continued to flourish throughout his career. He designed the headquarters of Music Corporation of America, the Palm Springs Tennis Club (a joint project with A. Quincy Jones) and the expansion of Saks Fifth Avenue. Williams worked in a wide range of architectural styles, from period revival to modern. “He did the styles that pleased the clients,” Hudson says.
“You think about what Paul Williams was able to do and achieve in the time frame of history where he was active, and you think, ‘Well, I can do anything,’ ” says Phil Freelon, design director of the North Carolina practice of Perkins + Will, who advocated for Williams to receive the AIA Gold Medal. “In the era of Jim Crow and much more blatant racism, it just gives you hope and encouragement to forge ahead in this profession, which is only 2 percent African-American. It’s incredibly inspiring.”
Williams retired in 1973 and died in 1980.
More on Houzz
See the House Where Martin Luther King Jr.’s Pivotal Story Began
See the Just-Landmarked Home of Colorado’s First Black Architect
Find a specialist in historic building conservation
That Williams was able to have such a prolific career in an era of widespread racism speaks not only to his talent and determination, but also to his sensitivity to working with people. The architect learned to draw upside down so that white clients could remain at a distance across his desk, and he extended his hand for a handshake only if a white client initiated the gesture.
Williams also was sensitive to the personal styles of his clients. When Cord, the transportation magnate, called and asked him to immediately come to view his site (an unusual request), Williams obliged. “On the strength of our telephone conversation, I judged that he worshiped prompt action,” Williams later wrote. The businessman told Williams that he was considering several architects and demanded to know how soon Williams could deliver plans. Every other architect had asked for two to three weeks, but Williams promised them by 4 p.m. the next day. “I delivered those preliminary plans by the scheduled hour — but I did not tell him that I had worked for 22 hours, without sleeping or eating,” Williams later wrote.
Built in 1933, the Cord project firmly established Williams as a society architect, and his practice continued to flourish throughout his career. He designed the headquarters of Music Corporation of America, the Palm Springs Tennis Club (a joint project with A. Quincy Jones) and the expansion of Saks Fifth Avenue. Williams worked in a wide range of architectural styles, from period revival to modern. “He did the styles that pleased the clients,” Hudson says.
“You think about what Paul Williams was able to do and achieve in the time frame of history where he was active, and you think, ‘Well, I can do anything,’ ” says Phil Freelon, design director of the North Carolina practice of Perkins + Will, who advocated for Williams to receive the AIA Gold Medal. “In the era of Jim Crow and much more blatant racism, it just gives you hope and encouragement to forge ahead in this profession, which is only 2 percent African-American. It’s incredibly inspiring.”
Williams retired in 1973 and died in 1980.
More on Houzz
See the House Where Martin Luther King Jr.’s Pivotal Story Began
See the Just-Landmarked Home of Colorado’s First Black Architect
Find a specialist in historic building conservation
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I came across this article as I was going through my folder of saved Houzz items. I live in the Los Angeles area and am familiar with Hancock Park. I either didn't know or didn't remember that Paul Williams was the architect for so many of the homes there. And I always forget that he was African America, probably because most of the articles on his work include pictures of the buildings he designed, not photos of Mr. Williams himself.
It is a testament to his talent that at a time when the term "color blind" meant that a person couldn't tell red from green, Mr. Williams transcended any sort of color line and was able to express his talents to their full potential. In addition to his skills as an architect, he must have been a truly amazing human being.
He also designed the LA Airport structure, banks, courthouses, and structures and neon signs in Vegas
I loved learning about the homes of these inspirational, black men and women.