I Am An Architect: Paul Williams and His Archive

Paul R. Williams (1894–1980), among the first Black members of the American Institute of Architects, was a defining force in shaping the city of Los Angeles and Southern California, yet his impact was undoubtedly global.

Threading together Williams’s biography, social histories of Los Angeles, and transformations in the profession, this richly researched monograph traces his remarkable career against the evolving landscape of Los Angeles and the wider architectural world.

This volume is published to accompany an exhibition on view at the Fisher Museum of Art at the University of Southern California from August 18, 2026, to March 13, 2027, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art from November 15, 2026, to May 31, 2027, and the Getty Research Institute at the Getty Center from December 15, 2026, to March 14, 2027.

280pp., 10" x 12", 182 color and 27 b/w illustrations