Progressive Patronage: Architect Julian Abele Duke University and the Dukes of Durham

Since its first buildings were completed in the early 1930’s, Duke University’s West Campus has impressed faculty, students, and visitors alike. Set within a verdant forest, its composition of archways, courtyards, and towers are among the finest examples of America’s Collegiate Gothic style. Julian Abele, Duke University’s designer, was among the country’s first African-American architects. Abele had already contributed to prominent designs at Harvard and in his native Philadelphia. Yet, how was he able to work professionally for a project in racially-segregated North Carolina? What was the role of the patrons – the famous Dukes of Durham – in support of Abele’s architectural inspiration?

PRESENTED BY
Dr. Lori Johnson | Dr. Johnson received her doctorate from Princeton University in art history with a specialty in modern and contemporary art. Her scholarship focuses on the relationship between discourse and cultural practice with an emphasis on how art normalizes the operations of power through the representation of class, race, gender and sexuality.