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Designing Victory: The Architect Who Dared, Dreamed, and Achieved International Acclaim
This is a compelling memoir by Robert P. Madison: an architect, entrepreneur, and civic leader. Born the grandson of slaves in Cleveland, Ohio in 1923, he studied architecture at Howard University before serving in Italy in World War II.
As a proud member of the historic Buffalo Soldiers, 2nd Lt. Madison returned to civilian life in 1946 to resume his education. But his application for admittance to the School of Architecture at Western Reserve University in Cleveland was summarily denied. The stated reason? He was black. A few days later, Madison returned in full dress uniform, complete with the Purple Heart awarded to him as a result of battlefield wounds sustained in Italy. Shamed and under duress, the university grudgingly admitted Madison. Still, school administrators taunted Madison: "You will never work as an architect." How wrong they were.
Madison would earn a B.A. in architecture from Western Reserve University, an M.A. in architecture from Harvard University, study under with Walter Gropius, and complete additional studies as a Fulbright Scholar at L'Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. In 1954, Madison opened the first African-American architectural firm in Ohio, and only the tenth in the country. Just a few of the many projects by his firm include the U.S. Embassy in Dakar, Senegal, the Engineering & Nuclear Facility at Tuskegee Institute, the Stokes wing and the Cleveland main library renovation, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
Reformer of urban development in the 1960s and architectural ambassador to China in the 1970s, Madison learned along the way that the halls of academe are not the only places to learn about life. Fully illustrated with photos, documents and project renderings, this is Robert Madison's story, as only he can tell it.
As a proud member of the historic Buffalo Soldiers, 2nd Lt. Madison returned to civilian life in 1946 to resume his education. But his application for admittance to the School of Architecture at Western Reserve University in Cleveland was summarily denied. The stated reason? He was black. A few days later, Madison returned in full dress uniform, complete with the Purple Heart awarded to him as a result of battlefield wounds sustained in Italy. Shamed and under duress, the university grudgingly admitted Madison. Still, school administrators taunted Madison: "You will never work as an architect." How wrong they were.
Madison would earn a B.A. in architecture from Western Reserve University, an M.A. in architecture from Harvard University, study under with Walter Gropius, and complete additional studies as a Fulbright Scholar at L'Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. In 1954, Madison opened the first African-American architectural firm in Ohio, and only the tenth in the country. Just a few of the many projects by his firm include the U.S. Embassy in Dakar, Senegal, the Engineering & Nuclear Facility at Tuskegee Institute, the Stokes wing and the Cleveland main library renovation, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
Reformer of urban development in the 1960s and architectural ambassador to China in the 1970s, Madison learned along the way that the halls of academe are not the only places to learn about life. Fully illustrated with photos, documents and project renderings, this is Robert Madison's story, as only he can tell it.
232 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 16, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 2, 2020
What an amazing man and an amazing life. The first African American architect in the state of Ohio, he started the first black owned architectural firms in Ohio and one of the first ten in the United States, a veteran of WWII's Italy campaign, a Fullbright scholar, and a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. His memoir tells his story of growing up with parents who were college professors in the 1920s, but once the depression began, couldn't find work in the professions where they had degrees. The family moved from Cleveland, to Washington D.C., to various cities in Alabama, and Madison saw first hand the trials of segregated America. The family returned to Cleveland where he became the first black to graduate from Western Reserve University's College of Architecture.
After serving his country in World War II, where he had a relationship with the Countess Ferrari, Madison faced racism in the north while trying to start his career. Eventually he would overcome by studying in France under some of the leaders of the Brutalist movement, eventually finding work and designing not just buildings in his hometown of Cleveland, but a U.S. embassy in Senegal, leading Madison International in becoming the official architect of the A.M.E. Church, and designing housing, sports arenas, hospitals, and transit programs.
Towards the end of his career the still active ninety plus year old could look towards the city of Cleveland from the E. 9th St. pier and see nine different projects that include being the local architect for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, First Energy Stadium, the Great Lakes Science Center, RTA Rapid Transit Lakefront Stations, and the Louis Stokes Wing of the Cleveland Public Library.
And what have you done since getting out of bed this morning?
After serving his country in World War II, where he had a relationship with the Countess Ferrari, Madison faced racism in the north while trying to start his career. Eventually he would overcome by studying in France under some of the leaders of the Brutalist movement, eventually finding work and designing not just buildings in his hometown of Cleveland, but a U.S. embassy in Senegal, leading Madison International in becoming the official architect of the A.M.E. Church, and designing housing, sports arenas, hospitals, and transit programs.
Towards the end of his career the still active ninety plus year old could look towards the city of Cleveland from the E. 9th St. pier and see nine different projects that include being the local architect for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, First Energy Stadium, the Great Lakes Science Center, RTA Rapid Transit Lakefront Stations, and the Louis Stokes Wing of the Cleveland Public Library.
And what have you done since getting out of bed this morning?
September 28, 2021
Engaging and inspiring chronicle of an amazing life, and broader history. Civil rights, race relations, city planning, war, education, and more. The narrative keeps you hooked, and leaves you with a feeling of admiration at what persistence, dedication, and teamwork can accomplish.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews