In honor of Black History Month in February 2024, a new exhibit, Modern Architecture Activism: The Life and Work of Benjamin F. McAdoo, Jr., will be on view February 1st through March 15th at the University of Washington’s Gould Gallery in Gould Hall, home to the College of Built Environments.

The exhibit showcases the modern architectural designs and social activism of Benjamin F. McAdoo, Jr., a graduate of the University of Washington Department of Architecture and the first Black architect registered in Washington State.

McAdoo’s life (1920-1981) and work linked two distinct worlds in the mid-century period: the struggle for racial equity and civil rights, and the rise of modernism in architectural design.

The exhibit at Gould Gallery highlights how McAdoo’s engaged, activist modern architecture bridged these often-disparate worlds, and challenged the status quo from the late 1940s through the 1970s.

Among the buildings designed by Mr. McAdoo was the Seattle First National Bank in the Wedgwood neighborhood of Seattle (now Bank of America).

The Seattle First National Bank (now Bank of America) took over the former gas station corner of NE 85th Street in Wedgwood in 1972.