Legendary Curator
It starts with the maleficent architect storyteller of all times and a public figure whose story deserves more than a movie, Paul Williams a star architect. He was known for his uncountable contributions towards society and empathy for his community. Paul Williams was born on 18 February 1894 and established his legacy and unforgettable work towards the community. Though he died at the age of 85 on 23 January 1980 his work still brings back the importance and detailed storytelling it beholds.
A very renowned and remarkable fact about Paul Williams is that he was not only a member of the AIA (American Institute of Architects) but was the first African American to receive the Gold medal after his death in the year 2017. On attaining an architectural degree from the University of Southern California, he started his firm Paul Williams R and Associates in 1923. Though not a challenge because Paul’s perseverance had been remarkable, the fear of being accepted by white clients and not going through racial inequality was unavoidable.
A multifaceted architect despite the unacceptable racial treatment, Paul Williams fought and worked hard and developed a stature of respect among the celebrities and community and was later recognized as “Architect to the Stars”. This was not only because he designed residences for celebrities but also acknowledged all the realms of society- low-cost housing, affordable housing, civic, commercial, and institutional buildings.
The vista of Frank Sinatra Residence
11-time Grammy Award winner, Frank Sinatra is the greatest American singer and actor of all time. He has been accorded multiple nominations and awards; a receiver of several recognitions, Frank Sinatra continues to be a forever icon. He had a vision of building a house after reaching this stratum in his life to contribute towards the achievements and memories he has made.
The rapid fame of Paul Williams and the high demand for residences by top celebrities led to the most awaited meeting with Frank Sinatra. Frank procured land with views of a beautiful valley and the famous Hollywood sign. The site’s location which was on the hilltop of Bowment Drive in the Trousdale Estate Development had its own identity and it might have turned impossible to implement a residence focusing on Frank’s concept of a home that was “small and livable”, but it was Paul Williams who designed for his clients without suppressing their ideas.
This residence was a memoir of Frank’s achievements hence this project was very crucial to Paul Williams and to address the ideology behind the residence’s construction. He was a celebrated architect for a reason, he always put forward the interests, profession, and identity of the clients.
Narration of the Residence
The residence was a synergy of multiple authorities and parties that created this residence. Solidity in Frank’s ideas for spaces was an ease to the design, his ideas were the elements of curiosity he had of various subjects. The Residence was the attorney of Frank’s identity and success. Accommodation of multiple entities that Frank Sinatra encompassed in himself was to be reflected in the residence. Frank Sinatra’s interests in modern subjects’ mechanical toys, high-tech electronics and gadgets were given a room of recognition in spacious cabinets.
An elemental subject in Sinatra’s life, the recording studio had to be moulded along other spaces. The artist’s voice had reached the right curator i.e., Paul Williams who on his basis of acoustical understanding gave the walls of the living room an acoustical treatment and installed loudspeakers under the false ceiling. The refinement of the whole system was so intriguing that the guests were always mesmerized by the quality of the music that was recorded and produced.
Integration of spaces must fall along with the interior of the structure. With that saying, Paul Williams consulted the firm’s group interior designer head Norma Williams Harvey who is none other than his daughter. She knew the intensity of Williams’s work and her role in the entire project as a “colour consultant”. Her work included the selection of materials used in the furniture and the type of ornamented items that were to be used to harmonize the modernized Japanese style of architecture that her father followed.
Through the cooperative and coordinated discussions between the client and Paul Williams, continual meetings led to a successful residential design. That was the quality and style of work of Paul Williams.
