Greene, Beverly Lorraine

Impact on the world

Became the first Black woman licensed as an architect in the U.S., breaking into the field hired for Manhattan's Stuyvesant Town project, a development that, in a bitter irony, did not allow Black residents at the time; contributed to UNESCO's Paris headquarters and an arts complex at Sarah Lawrence University.

Life & background

Facing discrimination and limited opportunity in Chicago, Greene moved to New York, where she became the first architect of any race hired for Manhattan's Stuyvesant Town housing project, despite the development barring Black residents. She left to earn her master's degree at Columbia and went on to contribute to celebrated projects including UNESCO's Paris headquarters and the arts complex at Sarah Lawrence University before her death at just 41.

Sources

1. Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation (Pioneering Women of American Architecture); Columbia University (GSAPP); University of Illinois (Distributed Museum)