WEBVTT - The Historic Los Angeles Architecture of Paul Revere Williams

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<v Speaker 1>All right, it is time for your way black history fact.

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<v Speaker 1>In today's way black history fact comes from the LA Times,

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<v Speaker 1>and I'm going to be reading the words of the author,

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<v Speaker 1>Grace Adams. This is opinion Paul Revere Williams, a case

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<v Speaker 1>study on the importance of preservation. Discovering Paul Revere Williams's

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<v Speaker 1>story as an architect and the failure to ensure that

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<v Speaker 1>his work has been safeguarded, revealed to me the undeniable

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<v Speaker 1>importance of preservation. Countless books scattered across my room. I

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<v Speaker 1>was in the midst of research for my senior independent

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<v Speaker 1>study project, but I did not know what I was

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<v Speaker 1>searching for. Yet, I was delving into the architectural history

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<v Speaker 1>of Los Angeles with an interest in investigating the topic

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<v Speaker 1>of preservation. After perusing various outlets, I stumbled upon a

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<v Speaker 1>note in the LA Times Archives published on April fourth,

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<v Speaker 1>twenty fourteen. Marcia Sells, the former president of Holmbye Hills

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<v Speaker 1>Homeowners Association, wrote the article describing the work of Los

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<v Speaker 1>Angeles architect Paul Williams was bittersweet. Williams is known for

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<v Speaker 1>his significant contributions to our city's landscape, yet his work

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<v Speaker 1>faces the threat of destruction. Surely Harvard Westlake School can

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<v Speaker 1>find a preservation solution to keep the morris Landell residents

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<v Speaker 1>in its historic location. Williams overcame enormous obstacles to achieve success.

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<v Speaker 1>We should not have to remember his visionary work from pictures.

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<v Speaker 1>As La residents. We should show respect for our history

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<v Speaker 1>and speak up for the preservation of Williams's buildings. I

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<v Speaker 1>was captivated. Not only had I never heard of Paul

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<v Speaker 1>Revere Williams, but the building being discussed had once been

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<v Speaker 1>located on my middle school campus. I started investigating the

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<v Speaker 1>morris Landeu building, admiring the black and white photos of

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<v Speaker 1>the home. What's more, was the impression of the architect

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<v Speaker 1>behind the treasure made on me. Paul Revere Williams, who

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<v Speaker 1>was black, was born in eighteen ninety four at a

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<v Speaker 1>time when Los Angeles real estate was still deeply segregated.

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<v Speaker 1>When Paul Williams first began his career, much of the

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<v Speaker 1>demographic layout of Los Angeles was bleak, dirt roads, connected

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<v Speaker 1>oil fields and vast farms and agrarian reality that starkly

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<v Speaker 1>contrasts the urban, vibrant, bustling city of Lascas Angelus. We

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<v Speaker 1>know today. Nonetheless, by nineteen twenty, the greater area of

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<v Speaker 1>southern California underwent a massive boom in the real estate market,

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<v Speaker 1>creating high demands for homes, which created opportunities for well

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<v Speaker 1>trained architects. The population of Los Angeles reached one million

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<v Speaker 1>in nineteen thirty, and the city was booming with residents

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<v Speaker 1>who had money and wanted to carve out their slice

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<v Speaker 1>of land. As author Jana Ireland explained in her book

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<v Speaker 1>regarding Paul R. Williams, a photographer's view, there were numerous

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<v Speaker 1>white people liberal or desperate enough to hire a black

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<v Speaker 1>architect for their projects, since they wanted them to be

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<v Speaker 1>executed quickly and had the finances to spare. It was

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<v Speaker 1>then that Paul Revere Williams started his prolific career as

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<v Speaker 1>an architect of both personal and commercial spaces, achieving outstanding

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<v Speaker 1>notoriety with his elegant and refined work that appealed to

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<v Speaker 1>people with money, notwithstanding celebrities. Magnetized by his resilience and

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<v Speaker 1>indefatigable insistence on success despite racial injustice, I learned that

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<v Speaker 1>he had to develop the ability to sketch buildings upside

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<v Speaker 1>down to appease white clients who were uncomfortable sitting next

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<v Speaker 1>to him. I also discovered that when he visited construction sites,

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<v Speaker 1>he walked with his hands behind his back to be

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<v Speaker 1>amenable to white people who would not want to shake

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<v Speaker 1>his hand. Most astonishing to me was that many of

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<v Speaker 1>the places where his homes were built were exclusively white.

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<v Speaker 1>Los Angeles was fraught with restrictive covenance that barred people

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<v Speaker 1>of color from spending the night in particular neighborhoods or

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<v Speaker 1>owning land deeds. With all this in mind, I look

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<v Speaker 1>at Paul Revere Williams as an individual whose work not

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<v Speaker 1>only contributed significantly to the development of the visual landscape

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<v Speaker 1>of Los Angeles, but also as an important figure who

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<v Speaker 1>represents the vastly ignored, overlooked, or undermined contributions of the

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<v Speaker 1>black community. For these reasons, his work is important to

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<v Speaker 1>preserve in the specific locations it was created to honor

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<v Speaker 1>his legacy and perseverance. Preservation is a challenging topic. It

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<v Speaker 1>forces us to re imagine the relationship between the past

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<v Speaker 1>and the future. It allows us to celebrate astounding achievements,

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<v Speaker 1>but also drives us to reconcile with the shadow of injustice.

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<v Speaker 1>For this reason, while it may not be easy to

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<v Speaker 1>explore preservation, learning about Paul Revere Williams taught me that

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<v Speaker 1>is an important issue to consider. Her