PANEL: THE LEGACY OF JOHN MOUTOUSSAMY
On Wednesday, February 16, the College of Architecture kicked off its spring lecture series with a panel discussion exploring the legacy of John W. Moutoussamy (ARCH ’48), an alumnus of Illinois Institute of Technology and a pioneering Black architect. The event was held inside the iconic S. R. Crown Hall.
Moutoussamy is credited as being the first (and so far only) Black architect to design a high-rise in downtown Chicago, the 11-story headquarters for Johnson Publishing, publisher of iconic titles such as Ebony and Jet, and an integral part of Black culture in the twentieth century.
Moutoussamy was also the first Black individual to be made partner at a major Chicago firm, Dubin, Dubin, Black and Moutoussamy, where he designed a series of high-rise apartment buildings, Lawless Gardens, in Bronzeville. He was also behind several other fascinating examples of Modernist architecture, including three City Colleges of Chicago buildings, the Chicago Urban League building, and his own home located in Chatham on the South Side.
The panel featured College of Architecture Dean Reed Kroloff, College of Architecture professor and historian Michelangelo Sabatino, adjunct professor and critic Lee Bey, and director of MAS Studio and author Iker Gil, and is co-sponsored by the Mies Society and NOMASiit.