Episode 02: Norma Merrick Sklarek
Norma Merrick Sklarek, FAIA was a woman of many firsts. Norma Merrick was born on April 15th, 1926 in Harlem, New York. After briefly attending Barnard College, she graduated from Columbia University in 1950 with her Bachelor's of Architecture Degree. 1954, Norma became the first African-American woman to become licensed in the state of New York. In 1959, Norma became the first African-American woman to become a member of the American Institute of Architects or the AIA. After working five years at SOM, in 1960, Norma moves to Los Angeles to work at Gruen Associates. Shortly after arriving in California, Norma received her California license, making her the FIRST African-American woman to become a licensed architect in the state of California. While working at Gruen Associates, Norma worked on projects like the US Embassy in Tokyo. In 1980, Norma became the first African-American woman to be elected to the College of Fellows at the AIA. Also in 1980, Norma joined the architecture firm Walton Beckett Associate as the Vice President. One of the most notable projects that she worked on was Terminal One at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which was completed before the start of the 1984 Olympic Games. In 1985, along with Catherine Diamond and Margo Siegel, Norma co-founded the women-owned firm Siegel, Sklarek, and Diamond. Garnering another first - she became the first African-American woman to own her own architectural firm. In 1989, Norma decide to leave her practice to work at Jerde Partnership where she worked on notable projects including the Mall of Americas in Minneapolis Minnesota. On February 6, 2012, Norma passed away from heart failure at the age of 85.
Caryatid: Gabrielle Bullock, FAIA
Gabrielle was recently named the 2020 Whitney Young Award Recipient. She was the first African-American and the first woman to assume the role of managing director at Perkins and Will and, since 2013, has served as the firm’s director of global diversity. As a compelling role model, Bullock also champions diversity throughout the entire profession. Her efforts have led to her role as the first female African-American president of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and speaking engagements and committee roles for AIA and other allied organizations.
References
Morton, Patricia. “Norma Merrick Sklarek.” Pioneering Women of American Architecture, pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek.
Images
Images can be found on the website Pioneering Women of American Architecture - Curated by the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation
