Robert Traynham Coles (1929-2020). Photograph by Irene Haupt.
Note: This article is reposted from Archinect. Read original here.
Longtime architect, advocate, and mentor Robert Traynham Coles has passed away at age 90 in Buffalo.
Coles, who in 1994 became the first African American Chancellor of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), was celebrated for the quality and beauty of his architectural designs. His notable projects include, according to an obituary published by The Buffalo News, the Frank E. Merriweather Jr. Library; the JFK Community Center; and the University at Buffalo's Alumni Arena and Natatorium, as well as additional buildings in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Providence, R.I.
Like many other minority architects, Coles was discouraged from pursuing a career in the industry by his teachers early on, though he eventually earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Minnesota and a Masters of Architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). After his studies at MIT, Coles traveled to Europe on the Rotch Travelling Scholarship from the Boston Society for Architecture. After traveling, Coles apprenticed at local prefab Modernist design firm Techbuilt, during which he designed over 200 buildings for the firm.
In 1961, Coles moved to Buffalo to start his own practice, an office he would run for decades while undertaking a steady stream of public projects, including senior housing, libraries, and community centers.
Coles taught architecture at University of Kansas and at Carnegie Mellon University in addition to being deeply involved both in mentorship and advocacy initiatives for other young minority architects. Coles also published a memoir in 2016 titled Architecture and Advocacy that was co-authored with his wife Sylvia.
Coles was also featured in the book African-American Architects in Current Practice written by Jack Travis.
Coles received many awards throughout his life, including a lifetime achievement award from AIA New York State Chapter in 2004, and was elevated to the AIA's College of Fellows. He also served in a variety of leadership roles within the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) among the many civic initiatives he undertook throughout his life.