A special aspect of the Lear Theater’s history is its architect, Mr. Paul R. Williams. During the 1930’s, Mr. Williams designed not only the First Church of Christ Scientist, but also many other mansions and homes in the area, including:
The Garvey House, 589 California Ave
Rafael Herman House, Rancho San Rafael Park
Loomis Apartments, 1045 Riverside Dr.
El Reno Housing Project, Virginia and Mt. Rose
In addition to his contributions to Northern Nevada, Mr. Williams produced an incredible number of buildings over a career that spanned sixty years. Mr. Williams designed or contributed to more than 3,000 projects including churches, hospitals, public housing, department stores, schools, airports, office buildings and the mansions of movie stars. They include:
Beverly Hills Hotel
Theme Building at the Los Angeles International Airport
Hollywood YMCA
Los Angeles County Court House
Sak’s Fifth Avenue, Beverly Hills
United Nations Building, Paris
MCA Building, Los Angeles
Mr. Williams’ amazing productivity is impressive in itself, but especially so when you consider the fact that Mr. Williams, an African-American, became the “architect to the stars” at a time when many African Americans were struggling to attain any form of education. In fact, a high school teacher asked him in 1912, “Whoever heard of a Negro being an architect?”
Rather than letting this attitude discourage him, Williams addressed it head-on and, through his talent and perseverance, became a celebrated architect, who would later become the first African American elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows.
