Phillip Freelon, Image: dezeen
The School of Architecture mourns the recent passing of architect Philip Freelon, former lecture series guest and friend of the school. Freelon was one of the most influential black architects of his generation and part of the team that designed the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. He died in Raleigh, North Carolina on July 9 of complications from ALS. He was 66.
Freelon joined the School of Architecture to speak during our 2014 Fall Lecture Series, where he presented his recent work in the public realm, including museum and library projects.
The founder of the Freelon Group, his most celebrated works are the Harvey B Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture, the Anacostia Library, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture, designed in collaboration with Adjaye Associates. Freelon graduated from the North Carolina State University and later from MIT with a Master in Architecture in 1977. He went on to serve as an adjunct professor at the College of Design, North Carolina State University and was a visiting lecturer at Harvard, MIT, and many more colleges. He also received numerous accolades throughout his life, as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, recipient of the Thomas Jefferson Award for Public Architecture, and an appointment to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts by President Barack Obama in 2012.
The architecture world honored Freelon’s life and legacy in the wake of his death, including commemorations from ArchDaily, dezeen, Curbed, and Architects + Artisans, among others.