Norma Merrick Sklarek 1

Norma Merrick Sklarek: A Colored Woman in Architecture

Neha Rehan

School of Art, Design and Architecture, NUST

Author Note

[email protected]
Norma Merrick Sklarek 2

Abstract

This paper examines the personal life of Norma Merrick Sklarek and connect it to her

take on modernist architecture. It will analyze the struggles she faced in her early life and in

professional too, particularly the prejudices against her due to her race, color and gender, and

how they shaped her to become one of the pioneer women in architecture, often referred to as the

“Rosa Parks of architecture”, inspiring many buildings through her take in the late modern

architecture. It will investigate how she became a role model for many young people particularly

colored women, to pursue their destiny no matter if the whole world turns against them.

Keywords: prejudices, race, color, gender, modern architecture

Early Life

Norma Merrick Sklarek is considered to be one of the forerunner women in architecture,

playing an important role in the modernist movement and acting as an inspiration for anyone

facing discrimination in any field of life.

Being an African American women, along with being a first generation immigrant, in the

twentieth century, made life especially hard for her, but that only made her work harder for

success and building acceptance for those alike her. She did not let discrimination come in her

way, but it was not easy. Even at an early age, going to an all-white school made all eyes turn

towards her and that too, not in a good way. However, even with all the intimidation, she

excelled in mathematics and arts which made her father suggest architecture as a possible career

option. Proving her intellect, she got into Columbia University but even there she was not readily

accepted by her class fellows, most of whom were World War II veterans, so had a strong bond,

helping each other with assignments, while isolating the only African-American in their class.

Early Career

The real world, post-graduation, however, was harsher to her than university life, as she

later recalled while talking to a local newspaper,

“They weren’t hiring women or African Americans, and I didn’t know which it was

[working against me]”

Thus, after being rejected from nineteen firms, she finally took up a job as junior draftsperson in

the New York’s Department of Public Work. Rightly feeling that her talents were being wasted,

she left the job to become the first licensed African American women architect in the entire state

of New York. The struggle did not end here, in fact it became more apparent how maltreated she

was, for instance, she was given tedious jobs like designing bathroom layouts. Her skills
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however, set her apart and so she was accepted at major architectural firms like SOM and Gruen

Associates. At Gruen, her boss had very apparent prejudices against her, for instance, being a

single mom, she had to carpool with a white male colleague who was constantly late for two

years, but it only took a week for the boss to notice her tardiness and give her a warning. The

solution for being the,

“highly visible employee who had to be punctual”,

was that she had to buy a car. This, is an example how the same road is bumpier for those

discriminated against, not only was she emotionally distraught but had to spend more financially

to get a fraction of opportunities as others.

Late Career

Even when she has proved herself to be of vigor, she was still made project manager

instead of design architect, because even if at the rare chance that her bosses were able to accept

her, the clients weren’t and so having a women, and that too a black one, be the one to present

the project to the clients was unimaginable. Yet, she managed to showcase her talents at any

opportunity she got and was so the first African American woman to be elected to the College of

Fellows of AIA. Her, never-give-up, attitude got her the position of VP at Welton Becket

Associated. Her next achievement however, broke records by being the first African American

woman to co-own an architectural practice, called the SSD, an all-woman firm.

Impact of the discrimination

Surely it was because of all the hardships she faced throughout her life and especially in

her career, and the constant necessity of proving her potency to others, that she became an
Norma Merrick Sklarek 5

architect who would give immense attention to every nitty gritty, as her son recalled, she thought

of designing to be the easy part but,

“she would make it real. What kind of concrete. What kind of nuts and bolts. What kind

of glass. She was in production, and she would tell you production was the real deal”

Perhaps, her attention to detail is what set her apart from many other great architects

especially women, whose work is more readily forgotten, whereas her work is still notable.

She, however, must be crediting for being the strong woman that she was, as she able to

not only endure all of this but also make the most out of it. An analysis of her projects shows

consistency, which emphasizes her voice and style was still apparent even when her fellow

colleagues did not take her seriously.

Verily, her clean thought process and strong personality is visible in her projects, with

clean lines and strong facades glazed with ribbon windows, many of her buildings serve as icons,

followed later on by others which is exactly what she wanted as she recalled having no role

model in architecture for herself, no one to look up to and hence she wanted to be a person that

others look up to for inspiration Even in her lifetime, her colleagues recalled her being a mentor

for them which says a lot about her character as she was continuously looked down upon by her

most colleagues.

Impact on others.

She once said,

"Architecture should be working on improving the environment of people in their homes,

in their places of work, and their places of recreation. It should be functional and pleasant, not

just in the image of the ego of the architect."

Of course, her struggles paved a way for women, specifically women of color in the

world of architecture, most of her works are not solo projects but instead collaborations with

male architects who always take the limelight or she was a project manager, since she no one

wanted a colored face in front of the clients, both figuratively and literally. However, her

partnership with Pelli lead to the creation of many late modern icons in the architectural world,

like the tri-colored Pacific Design Center.

It is safe to say that it is because of women like Norma, that women in many fields

specifically architectecture, have come a long way. A long gap is still to be covered and women

today, in fact everyone today specifically those facing incongruity, can learn a thing or two from

icons like her.

References

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https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/black-architects-paul-norma-adjaye.2071344/.

“Gruen Associates.” Gruen Associates. Accessed October 5, 2019.

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Morton, Patricia. “Norma Merrick Sklarek.” Pioneering Women of American Architecture.

https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/.

“Sklarek, Norma Merrick 1928–.” Encyclopedia.com. Encyclopedia.com, 2019.

https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/sklarek-norma-
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Vinnitskaya, Irina. “Red Building / Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects.” ArchDaily. ArchDaily, March 14,
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