Preserving the Pioneering Work of Black Modernist Architects

Black architects were among the pioneers who helped shape the modern architecture movement in the United States. Robert Kennard, who started his company in Los Angeles in 1957, was one of them.

“He came out of architecture school at USC [University of Southern California] right after the Second World War, there was a major housing crisis similar to the one we face today,” says Gail Kennard, the architect’s daughter. “He and many of his classmates saw modernism as a tool to be used to house people. … The architecture of modernism was simple: simple lines, light and simple structures, simple materials affordable to many people.

In the 1960s, Kennard concentrated on public buildings. His designs include three parking structures at Los Angeles International Airport and a headquarters for the Los Angeles Police Department. Along with other architects, Kennard, who died in 1995, also designed the City Hall building in Carson, California, and the Watts Happening Cultural Center in South Los Angeles.

Both of these structures have been targeted for funding and long-term preservation by the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, dedicated to safeguarding historic sites in the United States.

“The real meaning of this program is that black architects and their contribution to design in American history have been undervalued and overlooked,” says Brent Leggs, executive director of the Action Fund and senior vice president of the National Trust. . “And, in partnership with Getty, we are committed to correcting this historic inequity.”

The Getty Foundation got involved after realizing that none of the 77 grants it had awarded to help keep buildings modern in the United States were designed by black architects. Getty has partnered with the Action Fund to create a $3.1 million grant program to preserve 16 modernist structures by black architects and designers.

The goal of the Conserving Black Modernism program is to showcase the ingenuity and creativity of black architects. Leggs asserts that places significant in the experience of black Americans have not been considered integral to American history.

“Lack of recognition is in itself a kind of trauma, and so the Action Fund’s job is to mitigate these historical inequalities and valorize the beautiful, complex, and well-lived experience of Black Americans in recent history and over the past four centuries. “, says Leggs. “It’s a form of education and truth. It can promote racial reconciliation and healing.

The first round of grants identifies eight historic structures that will receive $1.2 million for long-term preservation planning. The recipients were selected after a seven-month review process and will each receive $150,000 in the coming months.

Gail Kennard is thrilled to have two of her dad’s projects make the list.

“He was devoted to modernism. He didn’t do any work that was out of that style, so he would be really happy,” she says.

She now runs the Kennard Design Group company founded by her father.

“And the fact that these are two buildings that serve the community, the Watts Happening Cultural Center, which still exists and serves the community of Watts, and Carson City Hall, which serves the community of Carson , it’s just wonderful,” she said.

Modernist architecture is generally known for its minimalist lines, rectangular shapes, and lack of ornamentation.

“We noticed in black modernism that there are other design attributes that respond to culture, place, and community,” says Leggs. “American modernism has often been viewed from a Eurocentric angle. So when we nuance this through a distinct perspective of cultural and socio-economic factors, black modernism presents itself as a unique form of architecture and design.

In addition to the Kennard Projects, the eight sites chosen for preservation planning funding include the Charles McAfee Swimming Pool and Poolhouse in Wichita, Kansas, designed by Charles McAfee; First West Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, designed by Harvey Gantt; Jenkins Hall at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, designed by Louis Edwin Fry; The Educational Building of the Second Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan, designed by Nathan Johnson; Zion Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, designed by Walter Livingston, Jr.; and the educational wing of the Fourth Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia, the only structure on the list designed by a black woman, a self-taught architect named Ethel Bailey Furman.

“The structures tell us that when all Americans have the opportunity and access to education, the result can be a lifelong demonstration of their potential,” Leggs says. “Like the work of Robert Kennard, co-designer of the Carson City Hall building in California, which is the sublime piece of modern architecture. Without access to an education, he would never have been able to create such a significant and enduring work of American architecture.

Gail Kennard describes herself as “thrilled” that her father’s work is being recognized in this way, especially considering the difficulties he faced when he started out as a black architect.

“When he graduated, he was top of his class,” she says. “He had won the top design award in his class, and he sent in his resume and no one wanted to hire him. They didn’t hire any architects of color, so he was discouraged. But by chance, one of the architects in Pasadena hired him, so he got his chance.

This opportunity gave rise to pioneering modernist structures that continue to serve the community decades after their construction.