WEBVTT - IDKMYDE: Paul Revere Williams

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<v Speaker 1>On today's episode. If I didn't know, maybe you didn't either.

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<v Speaker 1>We're gonna talk about Paul Revere Williams. No, not Paul Revere,

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<v Speaker 1>the Britagure coming, the Brinager coming, Not that guy. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>talking about the black man who was out here designing

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<v Speaker 1>building so dope that folks is still flexing in them today.

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't know. Maybe you didn't. No, I didn't know. No,

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't know. Maybe I didn't know. I didn't know.

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't know. Now I picture this. It's the early

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen hundreds, and of course racism is off the charts,

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<v Speaker 1>like segregation is in full effect. Meanwhile Paul's out here

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<v Speaker 1>like I'm gonna be an architect. People probably look at

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<v Speaker 1>him like, bro, you sure black people can't even sit

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<v Speaker 1>and have these buildings and you want to design them?

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<v Speaker 1>And Paul was like, watch me. He was born in

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<v Speaker 1>la in eighteen ninety four, and this man was out

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<v Speaker 1>here grinding y'all. He went to USC, got his architecture

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<v Speaker 1>degree and became the first black architect certified west of

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<v Speaker 1>the mississ That was already boss. But let me tell

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<v Speaker 1>you something that even up that Paul figured out how

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<v Speaker 1>to draw upside down. Why because white people was two

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<v Speaker 1>racest to sit next to him and look at the

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<v Speaker 1>sketches like normal people do. So he flipped the script literally,

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<v Speaker 1>bo can you imagine how smooth you gotta be it

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<v Speaker 1>not just designed dope buildings, but to do it upside down.

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<v Speaker 1>And he wasn't designing regular stuff either. This dude had

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<v Speaker 1>range Mariah Carey in the nineties range you know the

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<v Speaker 1>Beverly Hills Hotel at Pink Palace with rich folks and

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<v Speaker 1>ig influences. Take all them bougie picks. Paul revamped that joint.

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<v Speaker 1>He gave it that drill. Then there's lax. You know

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<v Speaker 1>that funky spaceship looking thing in the middle of the airport. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>Paul did that too. Who else could take a barn

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<v Speaker 1>airport and make it look like the set of a

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<v Speaker 1>sci fi movie. And let's not forget the mansions. Paul

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<v Speaker 1>was out here designing cribs for Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball,

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<v Speaker 1>a bunch of Hollywood big shots. But Paul didn't just

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<v Speaker 1>design for the rich folks. He was about the people too.

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<v Speaker 1>He built schools, churches, affordable housing. He made sure his

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<v Speaker 1>work touched everybody. My man was like I'm building legacies,

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<v Speaker 1>not just luxury. Now let's talk about why he's important today.

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<v Speaker 1>First of all, his buildings are still standing, still being used,

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<v Speaker 1>and still looking fresh. But more than that, Paul Williams

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<v Speaker 1>showed us what it means to hustle with style. He

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<v Speaker 1>didn't just survive racism, he out designed it. They wouldn't

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<v Speaker 1>let him sit at the table, so he flipped the table,

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<v Speaker 1>drew from the other side of the table, and made

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<v Speaker 1>that table his own. And here's the kicker. In twenty seventeen,

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<v Speaker 1>years after he passed, Paul became the first black person

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<v Speaker 1>to win the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal. That's

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<v Speaker 1>like the Oscars of architecture, y'all. Imagine them handing you

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<v Speaker 1>a trophy after you did like, hey man, you was dope.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm bad form not saying it a little sooner. Paul

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<v Speaker 1>Williams is proof that no matter what barriers they put

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<v Speaker 1>in front of you, you can still break through and

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<v Speaker 1>look good doing it. So next time you drive by

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<v Speaker 1>the Beverly Hills Hotel or you flying the lax, remember

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<v Speaker 1>a black man did that, and he did it up

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<v Speaker 1>side down. Just a stunt on them. And I didn't know.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe you didn't either, MHM.