Roberta Washington , , is an American

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

. She founded the firm Roberta Washington Architects in 1983, which, at the time, was one of very few architecture firms in the United States led by an

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

woman. She was a Commissioner of the

New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the Government of New York City, New York City agency charged with administering the city's Historic preservation, Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting Ne ...

from 2007 to 2015. She is a past President of the National Organization of Minority Architects (1997) and is a Director and Treasurer of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) Foundation. She has been a

Fellow of the American Institute of Architects Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) is a postnominal title or membership, designating an individual who has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Fellowship is bestowed by the institute on AIA-memb ...

since 2006.

Early life and education

Washington received her Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1970 from

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

. She completed a Master of Architecture degree at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in 1971. She received a full scholarship from

along with 25 other African-American students as a response to its campus riots in 1968. After earning her master's degree, she spent four years working on hospital and housing projects in

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

. During her education, she was active in organizations including the Women's Caucus at the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

and Alliance of Women in Architecture. Forming bonds with fellow architects helped inspire Washington to work to ensure legacies of Blacks and women aren't lost. She has been researching and writing about architects Beverly Loraine Green and Georgia Louise Harris Brown since 1997. Washington was elected to the board of directors of the

Society of Architectural Historians The Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) is an international not-for-profit organization that promotes the study and preservation of the built environment worldwide. Based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, the Society's 3,500 members inc ...

in 2021. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Save Harlem Now. She served on Community Board 10 in Central

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

where she was chair of the Housing Committee and co-chair of the Land Use Committee.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, Roberta Living people American women architects Howard University alumni Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation alumni African-American architects Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women