Good sources on black American architects and modernism?

January 27, 2016 5:57 AM

I've been asked to help research the history of a building in Washington, D.C. designed by the African American architect and educator (and student of the Bauhaus' Walter Gropius) Louis Fry, Jr. Much of Fry's career was focused on designing modernist buildings for historically black colleges and universities. I'm looking for some useful background material.

I'm hoping the hivemind can provide some informed pointers to useful sources on black American architects' relationship and contributions to architectural modernism that I might use to get oriented and provide some compelling context.

Please note that I am NOT looking for sources that discuss modernism in the US generally, as I already have some useful ones. Given how few buildings in DC were designed by black architects, and that a tiny subset of these are modernist, race is a key factor here.

Thanks in advance.

posted by ryanshepard to Society & Culture (2 answers total)

Best answer: Melvin Mitchell, The Crisis of the African-American Architect

He refers to an unpublished autobiography of Louis Fry Sr. which should be down-trackable.

I'd go to the source, his old firm of Fry and Welch, still in business. As far as I can tell, Louis Fry III is still with us.
posted by BWA at 9:18 AM on January 27, 2016 [3 favorites]

I came across an article you might find interesting titled "There Are No Urban Design Courses on Race and Justice, So We Made Our Own Syllabus." It has a good list of resources at the bottom, some of which would have background information on architectural modernism. It includes the Melvin Mitchell book BWA mentioned.
posted by mountainpeak at 11:30 PM on January 27, 2016