Norma Sklarek

February 22, 2008

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Profile America for the 22nd day of Black History Month. Norma Sklarek was a pioneer in the field of architecture. She was the first African-American woman to become a licensed architect and to join the American Institute of Architects. A graduate of both Barnard College and Columbia University, she has designed high-rise office buildings, hotels, hospitals, apartment buildings and shopping malls. Among the designs in her portfolio are the city hall in San Bernardino, the Fox Plaza in San Francisco, Terminal One at the Los Angeles International Airport, and the U.S. embassy in Tokyo. Today, African-Americans make up just over 3 percent of the nation’s 221,000 architects. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.