S IGNA L T R IBU N E Serving Bixby Knolls, California Heights, Los Cerritos, Wrigley and Signal Hill
Your Weekly Community Newspaper
VOL. XXXIX NO. 9
Leaving a legacy of imagination African-American architect Paul Revere Williams left his mark in Long Beach.
Maynard L. Parker, photographer. Courtesy of The Huntington Library, San Marino, CA
CJ Dablo Staff Writer
P
aul Revere Williams had already gained recognition for his career as an architect to the Hollywood stars in the mid 20th Century, and this April, he will be honored in Orlando, Florida by the American Institute of Architecture (AIA) with a gold medal, the institute’s highest annual award. The AIA issued a press release on its website to note some of his major accomplishments. “An architect whose work carried the glamour of classic Southern California style to the rest of the world,” the AIA stated, “Williams was the among the first black students admitted to the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design, the first black architect to become a member of the AIA, and, later, the first black member to be inducted into the Institute’s College of Fellows.” Born in 1894 in Los Angeles, Williams overcame numerous obstacles in order to gain entry into the world of architecture and eventually become a premier designer to Los Angeles elite. Williams was orphaned by the age of 4 and then raised by a foster mother whom the family had known through his church. Karen Elyse Hudson, his granddaughter and
biographer, noted that while his foster mother wasn’t a professional, she still instilled in Williams that he could be whoever he wanted to be. That confidence came in handy. In the prime of his career in mid20th Century Southern California, the times were not easy for a black man who would have to work with the wealthy, powerful and largely white elite. The Paul R. Williams Project, a collaboration between members of the American Institute of Architects and the Art Museum of the University of Memphis, detailed how Williams had adapted to potentially racist clients. He learned to draw upside down when he met with clients to discuss a design, in order to accommodate those who might feel uncomfortable sitting next to him. That way, they could sit across the table. Karen Elyse Hudson, Williams’s granddaughter and biographer, said in a phone interview with the Signal Tribune that she hoped people of color will especially remember her grandfather’s lessons in “the importance of using your imagination for creative problem-solving.” According to the Paul R. Williams Project, a teacher discouraged Williams from pursuing architecture, since it would be hard for him to win clients in the ma-
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A year of fruition
At annual address, Cohn highlighted openings of numerous businesses. Denny Cristales Editorial Assistant
Long Beach has a connection to architect Paul R. Williams, who designed parts of the Roosevelt Naval Base, including its administration building. The buildings were eventually demolished after the base shut down in the 1990s.
Courtesy Herald-Examiner Collection | Los Angeles Public Library
Noted 20th-Century architect Paul Revere Williams will be honored posthumously by the American Institute of Architecture (AIA) in Orlando, Florida this April. He was not only the first African-American architect to gain membership into the AIA in 1923, but he also eventually became the first African-American Fellow of the institute. The AIA will be honoring him with the gold medal, the institute’s highest award.
jority white community and since the smaller black community would not provide enough work. Hudson praised her grandfather’s legacy. “So, if your problem is that somebody doesn’t want to give you the job, or someone does not want to speak to you, or someone feels they don’t feel comfortable sitting with you, you use your imagination,” she said. “You figure out a way to keep your eyes on the prize.” Williams went on to design thousands of properties, especially in Southern California. He is well known for designing homes see WILLIAMS page 15
February 24, 2017
Business owners and Bixby Knolls residents had plenty to be happy about Wednesday night, when the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association (BKBIA) hosted its annual State of the District. As attendees frequented the food and drink selections during the presentation inside the Expo Arts Center on Feb. 22, Blair Cohn, executive director of the BKBIA, highlighted the association’s multiple introductions of new businesses in 2016 and early 2017, a time span that he calls “a year of fruition.” “We saw a lot of [the fruit of our labors] come to be,” he said. “We saw some projects that were kind of in a flux finish, we got more community buy-in, and we’re seeing more of an energy increase.” Lola’s Mexican Cuisine and Aldi grocery store make up the 130 new businesses that have opened up in Bixby Knolls in the past year, Cohn said. Other successes include the opening of the much anticipated Steelcraft food lot on Long
Beach Boulevard and the relocation of the Bixby Knolls post office and Trader Joe’s. He said that it’s more than just new businesses– the BKBIA’s emphasis on safety and security for those institutions and general infrastructure improvements all contribute to that idea of fruition he had mentioned. However, Cohn admitted there have been upticks in petty crimes since the holidays. This past November, a local suspect was arrested for commercial burglary when he broke into Carl’s Jr., Baja Sonora, Asian Chef and Subway on the Atlantic Avenue and Carson Street blocks of Bixby Knolls. However, the incident led to minimal loss in revenue for those businesses, mostly as a result of preventative measures the BKBIA encourages for such occasions, said Cohn in a phone interview that November with the Signal Tribune. At the event, he also said the BKBIA has been implementing LED lights around businesses and throughout the neighborhood to improve visibility and to avoid those “dead spots.” CSI Security Patrol, a service of security personnel that routinely patrols the district, also added daytime shifts for extra protecsee DISTRICT page 11
Amanda Del Cid | Signal Tribune
Blair Cohn, executive director of the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association, pointed out a few special guests in the crowd, including small business owners and residents, on Wednesday at the annual State of the District inside the Expo Arts Center. He said that 130 new businesses opened in the area in the past year.