Women in the Built Environment Spotlight: Kathryn Tyler Prigmore, FAIA, NOMAC, NCARB, CDT, LEED AP BD+C

By: Allie Lafitte & Natalie Singarella

DesignForce met with award-winning architect, Kathryn Tyler Prigmore, to discuss her work as a practitioner, educator, regulator, and mentor. Kathryn has over 40 years of design and management experience for award-winning architectural projects. Through her advocacy efforts, Kathryn furthers public awareness of the profession, promotes a more diverse and equitable environment, and shapes future leaders of the profession. 

What sparked your interest in architecture, when did that happen, what was that moment? 

My earliest recollection of architecture in a formal sense was when I was a young child, living first in Queens, NY, and later in Staten Island. My mother frequently took my brother and me to Manhattan to go to the New York Public Library. As we walked around the city, I was fascinated by the tall buildings – not only completed structures, but also excavations through construction fences, buildings under construction, and the skyline viewed from the ferries. 

While growing up, I learned several men in my family of earlier generations wanted to be architects, including my father, my mother’s brother, and some of my father’s uncles. Later in life, I realized  they did not pursue architecture as a career because they knew the profession was not welcoming to African Americans. When I became interested in architecture in middle school, I decided to pursue it partly to live out the dreams the men in my family couldn’t. 

Do you feel that is where your inspiration in what you have done in architecture originates? 

What drives me is a deep understanding that our profession – and our country – does not offer black and brown people and women equal access.  

Growing up in Alexandria, VA, I was immersed in the entire process of how communities change due to redlining. In 1965 we were the first Negro family in a neighborhood that would eventually turn predominately Black, then Hispanic, and now it is gentrifying. I see the same signs of gentrification in my current neighborhood. As a high school and college student and as a young practitioner, I watched the creation of “Old Town” and the other shifts in populations across Alexandria and Washington, DC. This shift fueled my interest in how architecture and urban design could create integrated communities, and I quickly learned this is not a dream many Americans aspire to do.

The technological aspects of architecture and design provide the primary motivation for the type of projects I enjoy most. I like projects that integrate complex engineering systems and components into the designs. I became more interested in the technology of architecture more than the design aspect while in architecture school. Fighting to be recognized as a designer wasn’t a battle I wanted to direct my energies toward. I believed I could contribute to developing a design by understanding the building systems and the users’ technology requirements. My knowledge of these technological aspects of projects helped the design teams realize their vision and contributed to the projects’ constructability.  

What changes have you seen in the architectural industry to push equitable design within the built environment? 

Being able to design equitably begins with equity in our academic and business institutions. These are not characteristics our profession is noted for as our industry is embedded in the American caste system. As a result of the unrest across our country in recent years, some firms are reconstituting themselves to be more inclusive. My only hope is that these actions are genuinely focused on changing the culture to support the organizations’ individuals and generate statistical data intended only to support business goals. 

While reading Isabelle Wilerson’s book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, it dawned on me that the architecture profession has its own caste system and what is referred to as racism within the profession is intertwined in this system. The castes within our profession are perpetuated by the tendency to hire individuals from the same institution we attended. These institutions historically graduate students who fit a certain mold, especially architecture programs with a singular pedagogy or a charismatic program head.   This practice hinders the industry’s ability to successfully embrace J.E.D.I. (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion) practices. Until firms commit to deviating from this practice, they will remain homogenous entities unable to transform easily.  

I have experienced how the architecture education system is different in predominantly white institutions compare to predominantly black institutions. I attended Rensselaer for my architecture degrees and Catholic University for my engineering degree, predominantly white universities. I was also the Associate Dean and taught at Howard University and currently sit on Hampton University’s architecture program board, both being predominantly black institutions. I see and hear the disparity between the discussions and the challenges that arise within the two types of programs. These conversations are getting better but fundamentally have changed little over the past 40 years. The siloing of academic programs also have to change as part of disassembling our caste system. The opportunities for shared learning developed by educational programs during the COVID pandemic can be the catalyst for easily making this happen.

We will see real change in our architecture programs and firms – and in America – only when our caste systems are disassembled. 

How do you recommend they get their foot in the door for young architects entering the profession and give themselves the best chance for success in this field? 

It starts with your education. I know people often face economic challenges and need to work instead of taking an internship, but I encourage young people to take as many courses as they can while at university. I also advise taking various courses, including some in business, sociology, and communication, as knowledge gained from these subjects can be utilized as students transition into practicing architecture. 

The second thing I encourage people to do is travel. Travel to understand cultures and socioeconomic paradigms that are different from your own. When I travel, I like to take the bus or subway from the airport to the meeting location. This initial immersion connects you to a true sense of the city’s spirit, which is very different from downtown commercial and tourist districts’ glitz and glamor. You can get a feel for how people live, how people speak, and what they are interested in just by overhearing conversations. As architects, we have to figure out how to relate to the actual users of the buildings we design to design something that meets their requirements and not just design for self-gratification. 

Further, having appropriate credentials opens up so many career options. After completing your academic credentials, finish the AXP as soon as possible. Obtain the CDT and LEED credentials while completing the AXP. Be proactive in getting your employer to support you in your quest for licensure. I was the Chair of the NCARB Committee on Examination for many years, and one thing I feel very strongly about is the exam is a practice-based exam. Do not succumb to the myth that becoming licensed needs to take a decade or more. 

Young staff members need to be actively engaged in practicing architecture and building projects, whether at a firm or through pro-bono work. Many young people focus on studying for the ARE; but, studying information you have never used or have been exposed to in practice is frustrating and fruitless. Young people need to have actual practice experience to apply this knowledge to their studying, which will increase the results of their exam. 

We have touched on the male family figures that brought you to architecture. As we are in Women’s History Month, I’d be curious to hear if there are any females, either personally or professionally, who have impacted or influenced you throughout your life? 

Several powerful female relatives supported me and inspired me. My mother, an educator by profession, was very active in the civil rights movement in Alexandria, VA. My brother and I attended meetings with her, distributed political fliers in our neighborhood, and assisted in other ways beginning in elementary school. In addition to broadening my awareness beyond youth’s typical experiences, I was introduced to the range of Alexandria citizenry in multitudes of settings from the mundane to the extravagant, which contributed to the confidence I needed to maneuver through this American experiment.  

I come from a family where my relatives who entered adulthood during the 1920s (our second post-slavery generation) were primarily homeowners and business owners or professionals. One great aunt traveled all around the world as a writer and later an editor for Random House. The women in my family were not typical women of the times – black or white. They inspired me and others in my family to pursue our dreams and taught us there were no barriers that couldn’t be broken. And we broke the barriers. I remain acutely aware of how unique it was to have several strong women (and men) in my family that had overcome significant odds to achieve success within the American system. They remain my inspiration.

You went through your academic studies, got your degrees, became licensed, and became one of the first 20 licensed African American females in architecture – what did and does this mean to you? 

In 1983, the year after I was licensed, I attended the first conference of African American Women Architects at Howard University. I immediately realized the significance and uniqueness of being a black woman architect when I entered the first session. Because my academic and work experiences had been in overwhelmingly white and male environments, I was frequently one of a few, often the only, female in the room and usually the only person of color. Maneuvering the uniqueness of my race and gender was a normal part of my experience. At the conference, the confluence of both of these realities transformed how I perceived them. My race and gender, along with my youth, have become positive, powerful aspects of my being as an individual and an architect.    

Over time I realized I had a responsibility to help other African American women aspiring architects as they moved through the profession. This responsibility is one reason I left practice to enter academia at Howard University in the early 90’s – first an Associate Professor and then as the Associate Dean. While there, I formed connections with other architecture programs and firms. I started a healthcare architecture program with alumni support where students worked with firms designing projects at NIH and had access to the resources available at NIH’s facility design department. I also facilitated connections between Howard, its architecture students, and industry-relevant organizations, including the AIA, ACSA, and NCARB.

What have you done since leaving academia to impact African American architects?

In 2007, the focus of my professional service efforts shifted primarily to increasing the number of African American women architects under the umbrella of Riding the Vortex: African American Architects in Practice. Amazing architect Barbara Laurie, AIA (deceased), was the other Founding Collaborator. As part of her effort to achieve tenure at Howard University, she was doing amazing research on African American women architects. As her mentor through this process, I suggested expanding her research activities to a broader platform across the US. 

This was the start of Vortex, our experiment to give African American women architects an authentic voice in the profession. Vortex isn’t about the architecture we produce; it provides each presenter with the platform to convey their unique perspective on African American women architects’ struggles, achievements, and personal experiences. Each session always involves a student, a recent grad or someone who was recently licensed, a mid-level and a senior architect, and a Fellow. Several of the current young stars in the profession – including Tiffany Brown and Pascal Sablan – are former Vortex panelists. Katherine Williams was the youngest participant in 2007 and remains one of our key Collaborators.

Another goal of Riding the Vortex was to develop connections between women – to network and mentor. I knew from my career that many opportunities were given to me because of the connections I had made over the years. This gets back to how the caste system works: you engage individuals you know (i.e., generally within your caste) – whether it is through school or work, you make connections based on those around you. Connections outside of my caste had afforded me opportunities I realized I could pass on to others. Vortex became the mechanism for sharing this access.

Another reason Vortex was conceived was to inspire more women into pursuing licensure at a fast pace. We couldn’t wait 40 years to double the numbers. There were about 175 African American female architects when we started. In late 2020 the number hit 500. During the same 13-year period, the total number of African American architects increased from around 1800 to just over 2000. Most of that increase was due to the rise in the number of women. The success of Vortex highlights the need for a similar effort focused on increasing the number of African American men in the profession.   

Where does the name Riding the Vortex come from? 

Being an African American woman in America and this profession puts pressures on you that most others do not have to contend with. For most of my career, I wore a uniform to minimize issues related to my hairstyle or the style of clothing I preferred. I still had to contend with uneasiness about my race, gender, and my perceived youth. More times than I care to recall, I have been mistaken for the Administrative Assistant rather than the Project Lead by individuals within the firms I have been associated with and by clients. I have even been asked in project interviews by fellow African Americans what I (inferring I was the token black even though my role and credentials were clearly stated in our submission) was going to contribute to the project. 

Our daily experience as African American women architects is like being in the middle of a storm.  We never know what adversity we are going to encounter and the daily flurry of work, deadlines, parenting, etc.  Through all of this, we have to remain composed or risk being demoted or even laid off. Controlling the vortex, the unruly world we live and practice in is necessary for us to succeed. 

What is your advice for women and people of color coming into the industry? What advice do you wish you had been given? 

I am very fortunate to have a supportive family and amazing mentors. They taught me there are many ways one can be fulfilled as a human being. The best advice I can give is to remind everyone they may need to make sacrifices as young adults to invest in their financial futures.  

Also, find creative outlets so you can continue to develop the abilities which initially drew you to architecture. The early years in an architecture firm are usually not that exciting, so maintaining your creative spirit is very important if you plan to remain in the profession.