In 1954 Norma Merrick Sklarek (1928-?) became the first black woman registered architect in New York State. In 1962 she became the first black woman licensed in California. She was also the first black woman fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 1980. Sklarek was born in New York City and received a bachelor of architect degree from Barnard College of Columbia University.
In 1955 she joined the architectural firm of Skidmore, Owens, Merrill and in 1960 moved to Gruen and Associates in Los Angeles where she remained for twenty years. Sklarek in 1966 became the first woman director of architecture with twenty architects on staff. That same year she was the first woman honored with a fellowship in the American Institute of Architects. In 1985 she founded her own architectural firm, Siegel, Sklarek, Diamond.
Sources: Jessie Carney Smith, Black firsts, pp. 4
To learn more:
http://www.biography.com/articles/Norma-Sk...
Posted By: Stacie Coulter
Thursday, September 8th 2011 at 3:24PM
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