The first Black woman to become a licensed and registered architect in the United States was Norma Merrick Sklarek. Sklarek was born in New York City on April 15, 1926. She attended Barnard College and received her degree in architecture from Columbia University in 1950. She obtained her license in 1954 and worked for the esteemed firm Skidmore Owings and Merrill from 1955 to 1960. Afterwards she relocated to Los Angeles, California where she began working for the firm Gruen and Associates. In 1966 Sklarek became Gruen and Associates’ first female director and, in 1980, she moved on to become Vice President at Welton Becket associates. In 1985 she joined Margot Siegel and Kate Diamond to form Siegel, Sklarek, Diamond. Sklarek also worked as principal architect at Jerde Partnership from 1989 to 1992.Sklarek has worked on the designs for buildings such as the United States Embassy in Tokyo, the Los Angeles Pacific Design Center, Terminal 1 at LAX, the Mall of America, the Queens Fashion Mall, and San Bernardino City Hall. She typically worked on projects that involved moving large quantities of people safely and efficiently. She also taught architecture students at the University of California, Los Angeles. After retiring as an architect, Sklarek served on the California Architects Board and the American Institute of Architect’s National Ethics Council. Howard University offers a scholarship to architecture students in her name.
