Okay, it’s actually J. Max Bond.
But do you know what an architectural superhero he was? I didn’t.
Often called, “the most significant black architect in New York during the 20th century,” the man was a powerhouse!
And it all started with a staircase.
Yup, stairs.
He was a young kid, visiting Tuskegee Institute, and saw a staircase.
What I’d give to see the expression on that boy’s face, studying the staircase that prompted one of the greatest architects in our country’s history.
His parents were academics and activists, and he learned early to ignore the oppressive voices.
His cousin (Julian Bond, pictured below) was chairman of the NAACP for over a decade!
He got his bachelor’s AND master’s degrees from a little school—maybe you’ve heard it—Harvard?
But Bond was always keenly aware of the lack of minorities in architecture.
So he brilliantly went to work.
Beginning in France, but moving around…learning and working.
He landed in Ghana for three years and designed the Bolgatanga Regional Library “which consisted of four buildings shaded by a common roof that was designed to provide natural ventilation and make air conditioning unnecessary”!!
In Africa? No A/C needed?
How cool is THAT?
After he moved back to the US, lived in NYC, but used his tremendous talents in architecture to promote social equality.
He designed the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.
the MLK Jr Center for Non-Violent Social Change.
..and Harlem’s Schomburg Center for Research and Black Culture.
He was told the shade of his skin would keep him from making an impact in the world of architecture.
So he showed them the color of his character.
Rock.
Star.
(Not me, him. I think that was clear..?)
Look him up!
I wonder if he took his martinis shaken, or shtirred…
Let’s just continue to celebrate our differences and our common ground!
