Principal architect of African American Museum dies
The architect who designed buildings ranging from local libraries to the National Museum of African American History and Culture has died in North Carolina.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Phil Freelon, one of the most influential African American architects of his generation, and a co-designer of the National Museum of African American History and Culture has died in Durham. He was 66 years old and had suffered from ALS for several years, according to his spokesman and friend Michael Reilly.
Mr. Freelon was a native of Philadelphia and graduated from Central High School. He worked at architectural firms in Texas and North Carolins, before opening his own firm, The Freelon Group, in 1990. He declined to design prisons, casinos or strip shopping malls, instead focusing on libraries, museums and schools.
His most important commission came when he was asked to team up with British architect David Adjaye to design the African American history museum, which opened on the National Mall in September 2016 in Washington, D.C.
The Freelon Group, which eventually expanded to more than 45 employees, created many notable projects, including the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta and Emancipation Park in Houston. In 2014, his merged his practice with Perkins + Will, a large firm with worldwide commissions. Freelon would become the head of the multinational firm’s Durham and Charlotte offices.
Freelon received several commissions from black cultural organizations and he was deeply interested in highlighting the experiences and achievements of black Americans. Although he never completed a project in his native Philadelphia, he recently helped University Place Associates craft a master plan to transform the area around 41st Street and Powelton Avenue in West Philadelphia.
After graduating from Central High School, Mr. Freelon attended North Carolina State University’s College of Design, where obtained a degree in environmental design. He went on to earn his Master of Architecture degree from MIT. In 1989, he received a prestigious Loeb Fellowship and spent a year of independent study at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.
Tall and courtly, Mr. Freelon cut a striking presence whenever he appeared on a job site. Although a Philadelphian by birth, he embraced his adopted state of North Carolina. In 2009, he was named the News & Observer’s Tar Heel of the Year, an honor given to residents who have made significant contributions to the region.
A service will be held Sept. 28 in Durham. Survivors include his wife, the singer Nnenna Freelon; and three children.
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This story has been corrected to show the museum opened in 2016, not 2017.