Norma Merrick Sklarek
| Norma Merrick Sklarek | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Norma Merrick April 15, 1926 Harlem, New York, United States |
| Died | February 6, 2012 (aged 85) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater |
Barnard College Columbia University School of Architecture |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Awards | Fellow, American Institute of Architects |
| Practice | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; Gruen and Associates; Welton Becket; Siegel-Sklarek-Diamond |
Barnard College
Norma Merrick Sklarek (April 15, 1926 – February 6, 2012) was a pioneering African-American architect. Sklarek was the first black woman to be licensed as an architect in the United States. She was the first woman to become a licensed architect in the states of New York (1954) and later the first woman to be licensed in the state of California (1962). She remained the only licensed black woman in California until 1980. Author Anna Lewis calls her "The Rosa Parks of Architecture".
Norma Merrick was born on April 15, 1926 in Harlem, New York. She was the only child of Dr. Walter Ernest Merrick and Amy Willoughby, from St. Vincent and Barbados, respectively. Dr. Walter Merrick was a 1935 Howard University graduate practicing medicine, and Amy Willoughby was a seamstress. She grew up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. She remembered that her parents told her "things that are worthwhile and from which one receives great satisfaction are never easy, but require perseverance and hard work". During the Great Depression her father taught her carpentry skills and suggested she become an architect.
Sklarek attended Hunter College High School in New York. She attended Barnard College and received her architecture degree in 1950 from Columbia University School of Architecture. She was one of only two women in her graduating class.
After receiving her degree, Sklarek was unable to find work at an architecture firm, so she took a job at the New York Department of Public Works from 1950 to 1954. Sklarek was the first African American woman in the country to become a licensed architect. After she attained her license in 1954 she worked at a small private firm. Starting in 1955, she worked for five years at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. While working at SOM she taught two nights a week at City College of New York.
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