An Intimate Eye

“I am an architect,” begins a wall text at the Center for Architecture’s new exhibition, Janna Ireland on the Architectural Legacy of Paul R. Williams in Nevada. The block-quote, excerpted from a 1937 article written by the Los Angeles architect, ends on an expression of affirmation: “I am a Negro.”

Williams’s immense oeuvre—comprising dozens of houses and churches and a smattering of public buildings—is often overshadowed by his status as the AIA’s first Black member. In her brief remarks at last week’s opening event, Ireland, an LA photographer who first learned of Williams in 2016 and published a book on his work in 2020, said she celebrates his achievements as a person of color. Yet her approach clearly aims for something beyond identity. The meticulous greyscale photographs of staircases, ceiling soffits, and ornate ironwork read like Rorschach tests from afar but reveal an aptitude for detailing up close. Images depicting building exteriors are informative without being rote. What shines through is a deep appreciation for Williams’s smaller architectural victories, which made countless houses homes.