Paul R. Williams was the most prominent Black American architect of his time. That time was an era of socially permissible, overt racism. Williams taught himself how to sketch upside down so that he could communicate his ideas from across the table to white clients who would not sit next to him. At one of his most iconic buildings, the Beverly Hills Hotel (its marquee is in his handwriting), he wasn’t even allowed to walk in through the front door. And yet Williams shaped his native city (and places far beyond) from the 1920s to the 1970s through the thousands of buildings he designed.

Curated by Staci Steinberger and Sarah Locke, LACMA’s exhibition (November 15 to May 31, 2027) is the largest and most comprehensive of three shows (the Getty will launch its own in mid-December) focused on Williams’ vast range of work. His portfolio includes the homes he built for the city’s reigning stars (Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball among them); religious projects like the marvellous First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles; and other hospitality projects of renown, including La Concha Motel in Las Vegas. Among its 120 drawings and photographs are many that have never been exhibited before. Designed by Studio Barnes, the Miami firm led by Germane Barnes, the exhibition is supplemented by a dedicated website designed by Folder Studios, which maps Williams’ projects across Southern California.