Customer Reviews

Paul R Williams, Architect

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Paul Williams' archtectural designs, which are photographed quite beautifully in this survey of his work, are rather varied in style. He ranges from traditional English tudor homes, such as the San Rafael cover photo, to futuristic buildings, such as the building now named Encounter at the Los Angeles airport. His buildings and private homes explore the radical changes in design that have spanned the 20th century.

Thank you Karen Hudson. Finally, the American public can learn that a great Architect is not just the arrogant Frank L. Wright that abandoned his wife and six children to run off with a client's wife to further practice his art. This book is about a cultured, hard working, creative and civic minded Black American Architect. In overcoming the racial adversity of the twentith century, Mr. Williams produced three times more work than Wright because of the confidence he instilled in his clients as an Architect that cared about their needs first and not his personal wants. Frank L. Wright regarded himself as America's greatest Architect because of his "honest arrogants" and most American Schools of Architecture promote this narrow view. But the American general public deserves better and should know that they have it. And this book illustrates that Mr. Paul Revere Williams, FAIA is by far one of "Our" greatest Architects by virtue of his Honest Integrity. Hence, he stands as a role model for all future American generations. And by that virtue recognition of his work must continue with more books like this and recorded oral histories from persons still alive that knew and worked with him.

This book is really two books in one. On one hand it is an excellent biography. But, it is an interesting look at the homes of surprisingly, Movie Stars from the Golden era of Hollywood.

A movie about Mr. Williams would be far better than the movie the Fountainhead, where an architect name Rouke blows up a large building project because of his hurt arrogant pride. And an American court of law finds him not guilty in the end. Hmmm and the setting for the Fountainhead was New York City, home of the former World Trade Center.

There are many books about Wright's arrogants. But the times in America today call for the integrity of Mr. Paul R.Williams to grace the coffee tables and personal libraries of the land.

Conrade C. Hinds, Architect

In 1868 the proposed amendment to Congress, was passed by the Senate to abrogate servitude on the shores of the Americas. Thus, it would seem exceptional to some, that only twenty-eight years later on the West Coast of the same shores had begun the legacy of an African American architect and the ascension of over 3,000 architectural structures. That architect was
Paul R. Williams.
Yet it was known in many circles that descendants of servitude were making strives in many a pursuit and occupation. Scientists, inventors, publishers, congressmen, and diplomats, the list is extensive. However, there is relatively très très peu known about the quality of Paul R. Williams, the architect. His granddaughter, Karen E. Hudson, the director of the PRWs archives, documents a veritable gold-mine of history within the annals of these pages. Although troubled by the "driving while black" phenomena, Paul R. Williams took the Booker T. Washington "bootstrap" premise to heart and created an empire of structures on the West Coast (Los Angeles in particular) and universally.
A Legacy of Style is a collection of Williams' work from the 1920s to the 1960s. Prefacing with a conspectus on his life and continuing with a preliminary from David Gebhard, (architectural historian and curator), that traces PRW from his beginnings and interprets the style and significance of his life's work. Splayed throughout the pages are brief narratives from voluminous articles and books of Williams' writings. Through the photographs, illustrations, captions and dreams, the reader unearths the flavor of this architect's nearly six decades of elegance and polish, signature homes, characteristic PRW curves, sleekly designed molding and particularly his "refinement and high taste". Williams' affinity with the traditional and sensitivity to the modern allowed for a lasting style of moderne classique. Yet his style expands further, from Byzantine to European Gothic, to Colonial to the Pueblo, from Romanesque to the English Tudor, Paul R. Williams envelops it all. In the 1930s, Williams reprised the neoclassic style of the relationship between interior and exterior, as in his Jay Paley residence in Bel Air. With this, the inhabitants would embrace a sense freedom. He was at ease in working with diverse styles and locations, from the Beverly Hills Hotel to the Compton Housing Project.
The advances Williams made despite the impediments would inspire the reader. The skills, such as drawing upside-down at a desk for his clients and developing the psychology of marketing his work were all elements of his craftsmanship, acumen, restraint and his concentration to detail. Being Black, he had faced difficulties that made him a " . . . far better craftsman today than I would be had my course been free." The reader will absorb his thoughts and hopes of being seen as an individual and his metamorphosis of his politicization of "being a Negro".
Unfortunately, Williams was unable to complete some of the wishes he had for building in Nigeria nor did he complete the autobiography of his life, but Hudson fulfills an exquisite task in this preservation. Yes, a little known book that should be in everyone's home is also an essential chronicle for the student of architecture. Paul R. Williams, an exceptional man of character, has left us a legacy of style.

Yasmain Broady-Soya...

This is a very nice book on a very important architect. It is nothing short of amazing that Mr. Williams had the career he had. He is a master of the California Regency, the style just exudes grandeur. This book does a fine job of hitting on his most well know buildings and gives a nice cross reference of his work. The text is very interesting because it comes from Ms. Hudson, his grand daughter and the pictures are quite vivid. I'm sure Mr. Williams would be proud that she has honored him in this way. Taking nothing away from Ms. Hudson, I would love to see UCLA do a series on his work with an architecture scholar, but for now this is a very nice tribute to a singular architect.

Excellent book that focuses primarily on photos of Williams' buildings. The photos are a nice combination of older and modern views (B/W and color) of the buildings he designed. Williams designed an amazing number of beautiful and unique buildings in Southern California, many of which are still there.

....Mr. Williams was able to define the architectual beauty of a glamourous era in Los Angeles. Sadly, he has been forgotten and rarely surfaces as a pioneering developer of the city of Los Angeles. This book captures his essence as well as his epic and monumental building accomplishments in (still) segregated Los Angeles and other parts of California. While I hoped for more color photographs of the places and interiors he designed/built, I was delighted to find a color photograph of Mr. Williams at the rear of the book. If there is to be a later update/version of this comprehensive "encyclopedia" of Mr. Williams works, please incorporate, or colorize (the technology is there) some of the photography of his structures. Otherwise, this is a great (and large sized) book.

If you love beautiful homes and other commercial structures and appreciate architecture, then you will love this book as I do. Paul Williams was truly a very gifted architect and did his job well. He designed gorgeous homes that I still think are attractive today. I even like the interior furnishings and decorations of years past. I pull this book out every so often and always find something to give me a treat and occupy several minutes of my time. If it only had an alphabetical index and exact addresses of the places he designed and assisted with, that is the only criticism I have. Just a beautiful, beautiful book.

Paul R. Williams was probably the greatest African-American architect of the mid twentieth century. He designed homes ofr amny famous Hollywood personalities, plus some iconic public buildings including the terminal at LAX. This book was written by his grandaughter and contains many family pictures in addition to great photos of many of his projects.