By Amanda Dawkins
Associated Press Writer

MONTGOMERY — When James Wilson saw the mural displaying notable blacks associated with his high school, he drew inspiration from a painting of Wallace A. Rayfield, the first black architect in Alabama and one who helped break racial barriers nationally.

"Not only was Mr. Rayfield an incredible architect, his ingenious entrepreneurial skills allowed him to have several practices around the country, including his office in Birmingham," Wilson said.

Now Wilson, who graduated from A.H. Parker High School in Birmingham, is attending architecture school at Auburn, because of a firm that for two decades has helped put blacks into a field where their numbers are scarce. Of the 50 members of Birmingham-based Giattina Fisher Aycock Architects Inc., 20 percent are black — compared to only 1 percent nationally and about 3 percent in the state.

Although Alabama has been recognized as the birthplace of modern architectural design for blacks, with Rayfield and many others beginning their careers at Booker T. Washington's Tuskegee Institute, today only 24 of 774 architects registered in the state are black, according to the Alabama Board of Architects.

But Giattina Fisher Aycock — none of the founding partners is black — has sought out Birmingham-area minority students who are interested in the field. If a high school student shows an aptitude and desire, GFA puts them through architecture school with scholarships and intern work.

Creig Hoskins, a black who is a partner at GFA and vice president of the National Organization of Minority Architects, said the firm is a rarity in Alabama — a white-owned architectural business that has made it a part of the office culture to provide opportunities for minorities.

The state board's executive director, Cynthia Gainey, also said she was not aware of another architectural firm in the state assisting minorities to the extent GFA has.

"I think it should be the goal of every architect to recruit minorities," said Hoskins. "Society is more diverse, therefore, architecture should reflect that diversity. Architecture is at its best when you have diversity and infuse the best the community has to offer."

He said GFA has helped more than 20 blacks study architecture at Auburn University, Mississippi State University, Tuskegee University, Notre Dame and Southern University in Baton, Rouge, La.

"The CEO of the company, Joe Giattina, firmly believes in supporting the community in which we live and work and strongly adheres to the concept that knowledge is more valuable than a handout," he said.

Under Hoskins, the National Organization of Minority Architects will hold its annual conference in Birmingham, hosted by the local NOMA chapter, Oct. 13-15.

Low numbers in field

Hoskins believes the low numbers of minorities in the field may be attributed to a lack of visibility of black architects and a failure to push architecture in K-12 schools. Wilson also says there has been little media attention to successful black architects.

Roman Gary, a black architect who has been registered with GFA for three years, agrees.

"Early in high school, I really did not know what an architect was," Gary said. "But when I discovered that there were people out there who design buildings, houses and make space for a living, I was captivated with that concept."

He came across GFA's program while researching architectural firms on the Southside of Birmingham near his school.

"I sent letters to three firms for summer employment and GFA was the only firm that invited me in for an interview," Gary said. "At the time I was not aware of GFA's minority architecture program, but I discovered it right before I went to college."

He began working at GFA while a high school junior, running errands and building scaled models of structures. He received a scholarship from GFA to attend Auburn's 5-year bachelor of architecture program. He also interned with GFA each summer and on major holidays while a student at Auburn.

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