This project establishes a wider context for understanding the public architecture of Philip G. Freelon (1953–2019), an influential African American architect and artist, who employed a narrative design strategy that created uplifting places for dialogue and reflection when assessing the impact of African American history and culture in this country. The project combines a curated collection of biographical sketches, reflections, scholarly analyses, and project descriptions of Freelon’s significant civic, collegiate, and cultural buildings and landscapes. The resulting book is intended to be the first book documenting and assessing Freelon’s life and career. For over four decades, Freelon designed museums and cultural facilities focused on the African American experience that uplifted African American communities.

Arthur J. Clement was the first African American to graduate from the North Carolina State School of Design with a bachelor’s degree in architecture. He is a retired first lieutenant in the United States Army and had a 50-year career with several architectural, construction, and program management firms. He now has an in independent architectural history consulting company. Over the past 20 years, Clement has completed numerous campus heritage studies. He currently serves on the advisory committee for the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Cultural Heritage Stewardship Initiative. He also served on the board of trustees for the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.

Emily Makaš has a PhD in the history of architecture and urbanism from Cornell University and a master’s in historic preservation from Columbia University. Her research explores connections between memory and identity and the built environment. Her key publications include Architectural Conservation in Europe and the Americas (Wiley, 2011, coauthored with J. H. Stubbs) and Capital Cities in the Aftermath of Empires: Planning in Central and Southeastern Europe (Routledge, 2010, coedited with T. D. Conley). She has also led teams of faculty and students pursuing public history and heritage projects exploring identity in the United States, including a series of exhibitions under the title Container/Contained: Phil Freelon: Design Strategies for Telling African American Stories at Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, Atlanta, Georgia (2025); Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Tallahassee (2023); North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh (2022); and Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Art and Culture, Charlotte, (2021).