Sklarek, Norma Merrick
1928-2012 · Contribution: 1954-1985
First Black woman licensed as an architect in both New York and California; co-founded the largest woman-owned architecture firm of its era
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Impact on the world
Described as 'the Rosa Parks of architecture,' Sklarek led major projects including Terminal One at LAX and the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, and in 1985 co-founded Siegel, Sklarek and Diamond, the largest woman-owned architecture firm in the country at the time.
Life & background
Born in Harlem, Sklarek became the first Black woman licensed as an architect in New York in 1954 and in California in 1962, and the first Black woman to join, and later become a fellow of, the American Institute of Architects. She collaborated with renowned architect Cesar Pelli on major projects including the Pacific Design Center and the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, and in 1985 co-founded one of the largest woman-owned architecture firms in the United States.
Sources
- Columbia University (Columbia Magazine / GSAPP); Smithsonian NMAAHC; BlackPast.org (African American National Biography, Oxford UP)
More in Architecture & Design
Abele, Julian Francis
1881-1950
Chief designer responsible for over 30 Duke University buildings and major East Coast institutional landmarks
Bailey, Walter T.
1882-1941
First African American graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's architectural engineering program
Bartholomew, Joseph M. Sr.
1888-1971
Pioneering Black golf course designer in New Orleans
Bates, Robert Charles
1869-1950
First African American author of an architecture textbook; first Black architecture teacher at an HBCU