Celebrating Black History Month: Architect Phil Freelon

A Passion for Projects Celebrating Black Culture

Philip "Phil" G. Freelon was an influential architect whose work embodied African American culture and history.

Freelon was born March 26, 1953, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1975, he graduated from North Carolina State University with a bachelor's degree in environmental design and earned a master's degree in architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1990, he founded the Freelon Group in Durham, North Carolina, and in 2014 merged with Perkins & Will, becoming the largest firm in the state.

With a focus on public projects that empower everyday people and promote diversity, Freelon is best known as lead designer of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC)- the nation's largest cultural learning space for African American history and its significance-located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Other notable public projects include the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco, Emancipation Park in Houston, and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum.

Freelon had many accomplishments throughout his life. He was honored as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA), a recipient of the Thomas Jefferson Award for Public Architecture, a recipient of the North Carolina Award for Fine Arts, and was an appointee to the National Commission of Fine Arts by President Barack Obama.

In 2016, Freelon was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Following his diagnosis, he established the Freelon ALS Fund to support research and raise awareness about the disease while also helping ALS families. That same year, the Phil Freelon Fellowship Fund was also established to provide financial support to students studying at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Just three years later, in 2019, Freelon passed away at the age of 66.

To become a licensed California architect, or to find out more about the profession and its services, visit www.cab.ca.gov. If you are interested in hiring an architect, check out CAB's "Consumer's Guide to Hiring and Architect" and check the professional's license at https://search.dca.ca.gov.

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