The IIT College of Architecture will kick off its spring lecture series on Wednesday, Feb 16 with a panel discussion exploring the legacy of John W. Moutoussamy (ARCH ’48), an alumnus of Illinois Institute of Technology and a pioneering Black architect.

Moutoussamy is credited as being the first (and so far only) Black architect to design a high-rise in downtown Chicago, the 11-story headquarters for Johnson Publishing, publisher of iconic titles such as Ebony and Jet, and an integral part of Black culture in the twentieth century. 

Moutoussamy was also the first Black individual to be made partner at a major Chicago firm, Dubin, Dubin, Black and Moutoussamy, where he designed a series of high-rise apartment buildings, Lawless Gardens, in Bronzeville. He was also behind several other fascinating examples of Modernist architecture, including three City Colleges of Chicago buildings, the Chicago Urban League building, and his own home located in Chatham on the South Side

The panel will feature College of Architecture Dean Reed Kroloff, College of Architecture professor and historian Michelangelo Sabatino, adjunct professor and critic Lee Bey, and director of MAS Studio and author Iker Gil, and is co-sponsored by the Mies Society and NOMASiit. The panel will be held in S. R. Crown Hall and begin at 5 p.m. (CST).

Image: Johnson Publishing Co. Headquarters, Executive Suite of John H. Johnson, Chicago, 2010. Painting entitled Azo by Frances Allen Sprout. © Jacob Chartoff.

Face coverings will be required. Even if you are fully vaccinated, all students, staff, faculty, and guests must wear a face covering indoors. The university will review and revise the mask protocol as appropriate given changes to state and city public-health guidelines.