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'''Norma Merrick Sklarek''' (April 15, 1926 – February 6, 2012) was an [[African-American]] [[architect]] who accomplished many firsts for black women in architecture. |
'''Norma Merrick Sklarek''' (April 15, 1926 – February 6, 2012) was an [[African-American]] [[architect]] who accomplished many firsts for black women in architecture. Toy inventor and author Anna Lewis calls her "The Rosa Parks of Architecture".<ref name="Lewis" /> |
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==Biography== |
==Biography== |
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On April 15, 1926, Norma Merrick was born in [[Harlem]], [[New York (state)|New York]], the only child of Walter Ernest Merrick a 1935 [[Howard University]] graduate practising medicine and Amy Willoughby a seamstress, from [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines|St. Vincent]] and [[Barbados]], respectively.<ref name="Lewis" /><ref name="Ehrhart">{{cite book|last1=Ehrhart-Morrison|first1=Dorothy|title=No mountain high enough : secrets of successful African American women|date=1997|publisher=Conari|location=Berkeley, CA|isbn=9780943233987|page=18,30,150-152}}</ref> She grew up in [[Crown Heights]], [[Brooklyn]].<ref name="Ehrhart" /> She remembered that her parents told her "Things that are worthwhile and from which one receives great satisfaction are never easy, but require perseverance and hard work".<ref name="Metcalf">{{cite book|last1=Metcalf|first1=Doris Hunter|title=Portraits of Outstanding African Americans|date=1996|publisher=Good Apple|location=New Jersey|isbn=1564177173|page=28|url=http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED406274.pdf}}</ref> During the Depression her father taught her carpentry skills and her father suggested she become an architect.<ref name="Lewis" /><ref name="Ehrhart" /> |
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⚫ | She attended [[Hunter College High School]], went on to [[Barnard College]], and then received her architecture degree in 1950 from [[Columbia University]] School of Architecture, one of only two women in her graduating class.<ref name=latimes/><ref name="Lewis" /> Merrick was one of the first black women to be licensed as an architect in the United States, and the first to be licensed in the states of New York (1954) and California (1962).<ref name=latimes>Woo, Elaine. [http://articles.latimes.com/2012/feb/10/local/la-me-norma-sklarek-20120210 "Pioneering African American architect"]. ''Los Angeles Times'', Feb. 10, 2012.</ref><ref name="About">{{cite web|url=http://architecture.about.com/od/architectsaz/p/sklarek.htm |title=Norma Merrick Sklarek - First Black Woman to Become a US Architect |publisher=Architecture.about.com |date=1928-04-15 |accessdate=2012-02-11}}</ref> She remained the only licensed black woman in California until 1980.<ref name="Ehrhart" /> |
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After receiving her degree, Merrick was unable at first to find work at an architecture firm, so she took a job at the New York Department of Public Works. Starting in 1955, she worked for five years at [[Skidmore, Owings & Merrill]]. In 1960, she moved to California and went on to work for Gruen and Associates in [[Los Angeles]], where she remained for two decades and in 1966 became the firm's first African-American director of architecture.<ref name=latimes/> |
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After receiving her degree, Merrick was unable at first to find work at an architecture firm, so she took a job at the New York Department of Public Works from 1950 to 1954 when she attained an architectural license.<ref>{{cite web|title=Breaking Barriers for Black American Women|url=http://architecture.about.com/od/architectsaz/p/sklarek.htm|website=About.com Home|accessdate=19 October 2016}}</ref> After which she worked at a small private firm.<ref name="Lewis" /> Starting in 1955, she worked for five years at [[Skidmore, Owings & Merrill]]. While performing difficult jobs, she taught two nights a week at [[City College of New York]].<ref name="Lewis" /> |
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In 1967, Merrick married [[Ralf Sklarek]], a Gruen architect, thereafter using Norma Merrick Sklarek as her professional name. She had had a prior marriage to a man named Ransom; and after Sklarek's death she would marry a third time, to Cornelius Welch, a doctor. She had two sons.<ref name=latimes/> |
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In 1960, she moved to California after accepting the position of first female vice president for Gruen and Associates in [[Los Angeles]], where she remained for two decades.<ref name="Ehrhart" /> In 1966 became the firm's first African-American director of architecture.<ref name=latimes/> That year she became the first black woman architect licensed in California.<ref name="Kaplan">{{cite book|last1=Kaplan|first1=Victoria|title=Structural inequality : black architects in the United States|date=2006|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|location=Lanham, Md.|isbn=0742545830|page=26}}</ref> During this time she taught for six years at [[UCLA]].<ref name="Metcalf" /><ref name="Lewis" /> |
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She had two sons <ref name=latimes/> in the early 1950s <ref name="Lewis" />, named Gregory and David.<ref name="Ehrhart" /> Around the late 1950s her first marriage ended,<ref name="Lewis" /> and is sometimes known by the surname Fairweather.<ref>{{cite web|title=Breaking Barriers for Black American Women|url=http://architecture.about.com/od/architectsaz/p/sklarek.htm|website=About.com Home|accessdate=19 October 2016}}</ref> In 1967, she married Bauhaus graduate [[Rolf Sklarek]], a Gruen architect, thereafter using Norma Merrick Sklarek as her professional name.<ref name="Lewis" /> She had had a prior marriage to a man named Ransom; and after Sklarek's death in 1984 she married a third time, to Cornelius Welch, a doctor.<ref name=latimes/> |
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Sklarek became the first black woman to be elected a fellow of the [[American Institute of Architects]] (AIA), in 1980.<ref name=latimes/> In 1985, she became the first African-American female architect to form her own architectural firm: Siegel-Sklarek-Diamond, which was the largest woman-owned and mostly woman-staffed architectural firm in the United States. |
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⚫ | Beginning in 1980 and continuing for five years, Sklarek worked at [[Welton Becket Associates]], where she worked on Terminal One at the Los Angeles International Airport.<ref name="Lewis" /> In 1985 she co-founded [[Siegel, Sklarek, and Diamond]] the largest firm owned by women at the time.<ref name="Lewis" /> She also worked with the [[Jon Jerde]] Partnership,<ref name=latimes/> as a principal partner until her retirement.<ref name="Ehrhart" /> |
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⚫ | Following her retirement, she was appointed by the governor to serve on the California Architects Board. She also served for several years as chair of the AIA's National Ethics Council.<ref name=griffith/> She died Feb. 6, 2012, in Pacific Palisades, California. A former president of the AIA said of her: "She was capable of doing anything. She was the complete architect."<ref name=latimes/> |
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Sklarek became the first black woman to be elected a fellow of the [[American Institute of Architects]] (AIA) in 1980<ref name=latimes/> <ref name="Lewis">{{cite book|last1=Lewis|first1=Anna M.|title=Women of steel and stone : 22 inspirational architects, engineers, and landscape designers|date=2014|publisher=Independent Pub Group|isbn=1613745087|page=52-59|edition=First edition.}}</ref><ref name="Ehrhart" /> |
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⚫ | Following her retirement in the late 1990,<ref name="Lewis" /> she was appointed by the governor to serve on the California Architects Board. She also served for several years as chair of the AIA's National Ethics Council.<ref name=griffith/> She died Feb. 6, 2012,<ref name="Lewis" /> in Pacific Palisades, California. A former president of the AIA said of her: "She was capable of doing anything. She was the complete architect."<ref name=latimes/> |
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==Selected works== |
==Selected works== |
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* [[Embassy of the United States in Tokyo]] |
* [[Embassy of the United States in Tokyo]] in [[Japan]] (Greun Architects) <ref name="Lewis" /> |
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* [[Fox Plaza (San Francisco)|Fox Plaza]] in [[San Francisco]] |
* [[Fox Plaza (San Francisco)|Fox Plaza]] in [[San Francisco]] (Greun Architects)<ref name="Metcalf" /><ref name="Lewis" /> |
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* Pacific Design Ceter in [[Los Angeles]] (Greun Architects)<ref name="Metcalf" /><ref name="Lewis" /> |
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* San Bernardino City Hall in [[San Bernardino, California]] |
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<ref name=latimes/><ref name=griffith>Griffith, Susan J. [http://www.blackpast.org/aah/sklarek-norma-merrick-1928-2012 "Normal Merrick Sklarek"]. Blackpast.org (website). Accessed Oc.t 27, 2015.</ref> |
* San Bernardino City Hall in [[San Bernardino, California]]<ref name=latimes/><ref name=griffith>Griffith, Susan J. [http://www.blackpast.org/aah/sklarek-norma-merrick-1928-2012 "Normal Merrick Sklarek"]. Blackpast.org (website). Accessed Oc.t 27, 2015.</ref> |
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*Santa Monica Mall and Place in [[Santa Monica]] (Greun Architects)<ref name="Lewis" /> |
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*South Coast Plaza in [[Orange County]] (Greun Architects)<ref name="Lewis" /> |
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*Terminal One at LAX in Los Angeles (Welton Beckett Associates) <ref name="Lewis" /> |
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==Honors== |
==Honors== |
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==Further reading== |
==Further reading== |
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*Ehrhart-Morrison, Dorothy, ''No Mountain High Enough: Secrets of Successful African American Women'', Conari Press, 1997. |
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*Harris, Gloria and Hanah Cohen, ''Women Trailblazers of California'', History Press, 2012. |
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*Summers, Barbara, ed. ''I Dream A World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America''. Photos and Interviews by Brian Lanker. Workman Publishing, 1989. |
*Summers, Barbara, ed. ''I Dream A World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America''. Photos and Interviews by Brian Lanker. Workman Publishing, 1989. |
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Revision as of 23:57, 19 October 2016
Norma Merrick Sklarek | |
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Born | Norma Merrick April 15, 1928 Cumberland, Maryland, United States |
Died | February 6, 2012 | (aged 85)
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Barnard College Columbia University School of Architecture |
Occupation | Architect |
Awards | Fellow, American Institute of Architects |
Practice | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; Gruen and Associates; Welton Becket; Siegel-Sklarek-Diamond |
Norma Merrick Sklarek (April 15, 1926 – February 6, 2012) was an African-American architect who accomplished many firsts for black women in architecture. Toy inventor and author Anna Lewis calls her "The Rosa Parks of Architecture".[1]
Biography
On April 15, 1926, Norma Merrick was born in Harlem, New York, the only child of Walter Ernest Merrick a 1935 Howard University graduate practising medicine and Amy Willoughby a seamstress, from St. Vincent and Barbados, respectively.[1][2] She grew up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.[2] She remembered that her parents told her "Things that are worthwhile and from which one receives great satisfaction are never easy, but require perseverance and hard work".[3] During the Depression her father taught her carpentry skills and her father suggested she become an architect.[1][2]
She attended Hunter College High School, went on to Barnard College, and then received her architecture degree in 1950 from Columbia University School of Architecture, one of only two women in her graduating class.[4][1] Merrick was one of the first black women to be licensed as an architect in the United States, and the first to be licensed in the states of New York (1954) and California (1962).[4][5] She remained the only licensed black woman in California until 1980.[2]
After receiving her degree, Merrick was unable at first to find work at an architecture firm, so she took a job at the New York Department of Public Works from 1950 to 1954 when she attained an architectural license.[6] After which she worked at a small private firm.[1] Starting in 1955, she worked for five years at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. While performing difficult jobs, she taught two nights a week at City College of New York.[1]
In 1960, she moved to California after accepting the position of first female vice president for Gruen and Associates in Los Angeles, where she remained for two decades.[2] In 1966 became the firm's first African-American director of architecture.[4] That year she became the first black woman architect licensed in California.[7] During this time she taught for six years at UCLA.[3][1]
She had two sons [4] in the early 1950s [1], named Gregory and David.[2] Around the late 1950s her first marriage ended,[1] and is sometimes known by the surname Fairweather.[8] In 1967, she married Bauhaus graduate Rolf Sklarek, a Gruen architect, thereafter using Norma Merrick Sklarek as her professional name.[1] She had had a prior marriage to a man named Ransom; and after Sklarek's death in 1984 she married a third time, to Cornelius Welch, a doctor.[4]
Beginning in 1980 and continuing for five years, Sklarek worked at Welton Becket Associates, where she worked on Terminal One at the Los Angeles International Airport.[1] In 1985 she co-founded Siegel, Sklarek, and Diamond the largest firm owned by women at the time.[1] She also worked with the Jon Jerde Partnership,[4] as a principal partner until her retirement.[2]
Sklarek became the first black woman to be elected a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 1980[4] [1][2]
Following her retirement in the late 1990,[1] she was appointed by the governor to serve on the California Architects Board. She also served for several years as chair of the AIA's National Ethics Council.[9] She died Feb. 6, 2012,[1] in Pacific Palisades, California. A former president of the AIA said of her: "She was capable of doing anything. She was the complete architect."[4]
Selected works
- Embassy of the United States in Tokyo in Japan (Greun Architects) [1]
- Fox Plaza in San Francisco (Greun Architects)[3][1]
- Pacific Design Ceter in Los Angeles (Greun Architects)[3][1]
- San Bernardino City Hall in San Bernardino, California[4][9]
- Santa Monica Mall and Place in Santa Monica (Greun Architects)[1]
- South Coast Plaza in Orange County (Greun Architects)[1]
- Terminal One at LAX in Los Angeles (Welton Beckett Associates) [1]
Honors
In her honor, Howard University offers the Norma Merrick Sklarek Architectural Scholarship Award.
Sklarek is an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.
Other honors include: the Association of Black Women Entrepreneurs’ Outstanding Business Role Model Award (1987) and a resolution from the California State Legislature honoring her (2007).
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Lewis, Anna M. (2014). Women of steel and stone : 22 inspirational architects, engineers, and landscape designers (First edition. ed.). Independent Pub Group. p. 52-59. ISBN 1613745087.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Ehrhart-Morrison, Dorothy (1997). No mountain high enough : secrets of successful African American women. Berkeley, CA: Conari. p. 18,30,150-152. ISBN 9780943233987.
- ^ a b c d Metcalf, Doris Hunter (1996). Portraits of Outstanding African Americans (PDF). New Jersey: Good Apple. p. 28. ISBN 1564177173.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Woo, Elaine. "Pioneering African American architect". Los Angeles Times, Feb. 10, 2012.
- ^ "Norma Merrick Sklarek - First Black Woman to Become a US Architect". Architecture.about.com. 1928-04-15. Retrieved 2012-02-11.
- ^ "Breaking Barriers for Black American Women". About.com Home. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
- ^ Kaplan, Victoria (2006). Structural inequality : black architects in the United States. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 26. ISBN 0742545830.
- ^ "Breaking Barriers for Black American Women". About.com Home. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
- ^ a b Griffith, Susan J. "Normal Merrick Sklarek". Blackpast.org (website). Accessed Oc.t 27, 2015.
Further reading
- Ehrhart-Morrison, Dorothy, No Mountain High Enough: Secrets of Successful African American Women, Conari Press, 1997.
- Harris, Gloria and Hanah Cohen, Women Trailblazers of California, History Press, 2012.
- Summers, Barbara, ed. I Dream A World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America. Photos and Interviews by Brian Lanker. Workman Publishing, 1989.