PAUL REVERE WILLIAMS

WHEREAS, Paul Revere Williams (1894 -1980) was the first Black architect to practice west of the Mississippi and had a career spanning 50 years, during which he designed more than 3,000 buildings; and;

WHEREAS, undeterred by a high school counselor who discouraged a Black man from aspiring to become an architect, Williams studied at the Los Angeles School of Art and Design and in 1922, he opened his own architectural firm. He became the first African American member of the American Institute of Architects in 1923; and;

WHEREAS, Williams' work in Nevada spans the 1930s through the 1970s; he was first introduced to northern Nevada by Luella Garvey, for whom he designed a home on California Avenue, and then-recently arrived Nevada resident EL Cord, for whom he designed the Circle L Ranch house in Dyer, NV; and other important properties in the north include the First Church of Christ Scientist, now known as the Lear Theatre; the Herman residence, now the Ranch House at in Rancho San Rafael Park; the El Reno Apartments and the Loomis Manor Apartments; as well as the Lovelock Inn; and;

WHEREAS, Williams came to southern Nevada in 1942 to design the Carver Park Housing Development for Black employees of Basic Magnesium Incorporated (BMI), while a separate community was designed and constructed for white workers; and in southern Nevada Williams designed the La Concha Motel, now the entrance to the Neon Museum; the Guardian Angel Cathedral; the Royal Nevada Casino; Las Vegas Park Horse Racing Track; and Berkley Square, the first African American suburban community in the area;

WHEREAS, Williams' architectural contributions collectively helped redefine the built environment of the western region of the United States and, in 2017 he was posthumously awarded the AIA's highest honor, the Gold Medal, as an individual who made a lasting impact in the field or architecture; and;

WHEREAS, the Nevada Museum of Art commissioned renowned photographer Janna Ireland to research and document Williams' work in Nevada and mounted an exhibition, curated by Carmen Beals, the Museum's Associate Curator and Outreach Director based in Las Vegas, that opened to great acclaim in Reno on July 2, 2022 and at the State Museum in Las Vegas on December 3, 2022; and;

WHEREAS, the Nevada Museum of Art, the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, The Neon Museum and Nevada Preservation Foundation continue to collaborate to preserve the work and legacy of Paul Revere Williams in Nevada through exhibitions, stewardship, scholarship and public programs;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOE LOMBARDO, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, do hereby proclaim February 18, 2023 as a day in honor of

PAUL REVERE WILLIAMS