Paul Revere Williams
Hollywood’s Architect: The Paul R. Williams Story
Just in time for Black History Month, PBS released Hollywood's Architect: The Paul R. Williams Story. The documentary explores how he used his skills, persistence, and charisma to overcome discrimination and create a portfolio of work that can be found nationwide. In addition, the film features our very own 28th Street YMCA Apartments!
Williams' design for the 28th Street YMCA in the Central Avenue area of Los Angeles was an architectural marvel of its time. In 2011, Clifford Beers Housing and Koning Eizenberg Architecture designed a badly-needed renovation for the building. Rechristened the 28th Street Apartments, it now includes 49 affordable apartments and a 5-story addition behind the original structure.
The original documentary aired on PBS Socal on 2/6/2020. It is also available online here.