1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,080 Speaker 1: On today's episode. If I didn't know, maybe you didn't either. 2 00:00:03,320 --> 00:00:08,039 Speaker 1: We're gonna talk about Paul Revere Williams. No, not Paul Revere, 3 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:11,520 Speaker 1: the Britagure coming, the Brinager coming, Not that guy. I'm 4 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:13,880 Speaker 1: talking about the black man who was out here designing 5 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:17,400 Speaker 1: building so dope that folks is still flexing in them today. 6 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:23,239 Speaker 1: I didn't know. Maybe you didn't. No, I didn't know. No, 7 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:28,440 Speaker 1: I didn't know. Maybe I didn't know. I didn't know. 8 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:31,600 Speaker 1: I didn't know. Now I picture this. It's the early 9 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:35,320 Speaker 1: nineteen hundreds, and of course racism is off the charts, 10 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:39,320 Speaker 1: like segregation is in full effect. Meanwhile Paul's out here 11 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:42,080 Speaker 1: like I'm gonna be an architect. People probably look at 12 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 1: him like, bro, you sure black people can't even sit 13 00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:46,960 Speaker 1: and have these buildings and you want to design them? 14 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:49,800 Speaker 1: And Paul was like, watch me. He was born in 15 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:52,200 Speaker 1: la in eighteen ninety four, and this man was out 16 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:55,880 Speaker 1: here grinding y'all. He went to USC, got his architecture 17 00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:59,560 Speaker 1: degree and became the first black architect certified west of 18 00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:02,319 Speaker 1: the mississ That was already boss. But let me tell 19 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:05,200 Speaker 1: you something that even up that Paul figured out how 20 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:09,520 Speaker 1: to draw upside down. Why because white people was two 21 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:12,000 Speaker 1: racest to sit next to him and look at the 22 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:16,080 Speaker 1: sketches like normal people do. So he flipped the script literally, 23 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:18,080 Speaker 1: bo can you imagine how smooth you gotta be it 24 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:22,039 Speaker 1: not just designed dope buildings, but to do it upside down. 25 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:24,920 Speaker 1: And he wasn't designing regular stuff either. This dude had 26 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:29,200 Speaker 1: range Mariah Carey in the nineties range you know the 27 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 1: Beverly Hills Hotel at Pink Palace with rich folks and 28 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:35,880 Speaker 1: ig influences. Take all them bougie picks. Paul revamped that joint. 29 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:38,920 Speaker 1: He gave it that drill. Then there's lax. You know 30 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:41,839 Speaker 1: that funky spaceship looking thing in the middle of the airport. Yeah, 31 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:43,959 Speaker 1: Paul did that too. Who else could take a barn 32 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:45,679 Speaker 1: airport and make it look like the set of a 33 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:48,760 Speaker 1: sci fi movie. And let's not forget the mansions. Paul 34 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:52,040 Speaker 1: was out here designing cribs for Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, 35 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 1: a bunch of Hollywood big shots. But Paul didn't just 36 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 1: design for the rich folks. He was about the people too. 37 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 1: He built schools, churches, affordable housing. He made sure his 38 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:05,880 Speaker 1: work touched everybody. My man was like I'm building legacies, 39 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:09,280 Speaker 1: not just luxury. Now let's talk about why he's important today. 40 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:12,520 Speaker 1: First of all, his buildings are still standing, still being used, 41 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:15,639 Speaker 1: and still looking fresh. But more than that, Paul Williams 42 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:18,200 Speaker 1: showed us what it means to hustle with style. He 43 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:21,800 Speaker 1: didn't just survive racism, he out designed it. They wouldn't 44 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:24,040 Speaker 1: let him sit at the table, so he flipped the table, 45 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:26,200 Speaker 1: drew from the other side of the table, and made 46 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:29,240 Speaker 1: that table his own. And here's the kicker. In twenty seventeen, 47 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:33,080 Speaker 1: years after he passed, Paul became the first black person 48 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:37,280 Speaker 1: to win the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal. That's 49 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:40,400 Speaker 1: like the Oscars of architecture, y'all. Imagine them handing you 50 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:43,720 Speaker 1: a trophy after you did like, hey man, you was dope. 51 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:45,919 Speaker 1: I'm bad form not saying it a little sooner. Paul 52 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:48,400 Speaker 1: Williams is proof that no matter what barriers they put 53 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:51,480 Speaker 1: in front of you, you can still break through and 54 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:53,960 Speaker 1: look good doing it. So next time you drive by 55 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 1: the Beverly Hills Hotel or you flying the lax, remember 56 00:02:57,600 --> 00:02:59,960 Speaker 1: a black man did that, and he did it up 57 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:03,440 Speaker 1: side down. Just a stunt on them. And I didn't know. 58 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 1: Maybe you didn't either, MHM.