The exhibition includes Paul R. Williams and Associates’ perspective rendering of the Founder’s Church of Religious Science (1957-60) in Koreatown. (photo courtesy of Getty Research Institute)

The Getty Center will examine architect Paul R. Williams’ work, influence and role in shaping Black Los Angeles in “Paul R. Williams: Architecture Across the Color Line,” opening Dec. 15 and continuing through March 14, 2027.

Williams, who lived from 1894-1980, became the first Black architect licensed in the western United States and developed a prolific practice that crossed racial, economic and cultural boundaries. Although widely known for designing homes for celebrities including Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Williams also designed homes for Black families and worked with Black developers to expand access to housing.

The exhibition focuses primarily on that aspect of Williams’ career, considering his architecture within the systems of racial exclusion that shaped 20th-century Los Angeles. Drawings, photographs and archival materials will trace his education and professional training, rise as a nationally recognized architect and enduring influence.

“While internationally celebrated for designing luxury homes for Hollywood celebrities and prominent clients, Williams was equally committed to designing homes for Black families and collaborating with Black developers to expand access to quality housing,” Getty Research Institute Interim Director Andrew Perchuk said. “His work ranged from grand estates to civic monuments, and affordable housing developments, demonstrating a practice that spanned social, economic, and cultural boundaries.”

Williams’ career unfolded during a period when racially restrictive covenants and redlining limited where many Black, Latino and Asian American residents could live and their access to mortgages, insurance and other financial services. Within that environment, Williams worked with clients and communities across racial boundaries and contributed to the development of Los Angeles’ built environment.

Orphaned at age 4, Williams graduated from Polytechnic High School’s architecture program in 1912 and continued his studies at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles School of Art and Design and Los Angeles Atelier of the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design. He developed his skills through architectural competitions and apprenticeships before receiving his architecture license in 1921.

As his career expanded, Williams became a prominent public figure and served on civic commissions, nonprofit boards and professional organizations. He also mentored younger Black architects, extending his influence to subsequent generations of design professionals.

The exhibition will give particular attention to Williams’ archive. Long believed to have been destroyed in a fire, the collection was preserved by his family and eventually acquired by the Getty Research Institute and USC School of Architecture. Getty subsequently undertook a conservation project to stabilize, preserve and catalog thousands of architectural drawings and other materials documenting Williams’ independent practice.

Highlights include drawings of Williams’ own residence and architectural office. The exhibition also examines preservation efforts involving several of his Los Angeles buildings, including the 28th Street YMCA, Second Baptist Church, original Angelus Funeral Home and Williams’ residence. Original drawings from the archive have informed restoration projects involving some of the buildings.

The Getty exhibition is part of a coordinated examination of Williams’ legacy by three Los Angeles institutions. USC Fisher Museum’s “Paul R. Williams: An Architect Considered” runs through March 13, 2027. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art will present “Paul R. Williams: Architect for Living” from Nov. 15 through May 31, 2027.

Getty Publications will also release “I Am an Architect: Paul R. Williams and His Archive,” featuring essays by curators involved with the exhibitions.

“Paul R. Williams: Architecture Across the Color Line” is curated by Getty Research Institute curators LeRonn P. Brooks, Maristella Casciato, Gary Riichirō Fox and curatorial assistant Alex Jones.

The Getty Center is located at 1200 Getty Center Drive.

For information, visit getty.edu.