Pathfinding architect and philanthropist James “Jim” Silcott, FAIA, handed away July 17, 2025, on the age of 95 in Washington, DC, in accordance with his household.
Companies shall be held within the campus chapel at his beloved alma mater, Howard College, on Saturday, August 16. Internment will happen on Saturday, September 6, at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood.
Upon arriving in L.A. in 1958, after graduating from Howard College in DC, Silcott was one of many first Black architects hirReclaim Our Streets Rally ed by the L.A. County. His encounter with epic resistance to his skilled development led to his submitting of a lawsuit and ultimately profitable the extremely publicized million-dollar court docket settlement, which opened the doorways to the employment and profession development of Black architects in native authorities employment. His win was the start of the award of design contracts to Black-owned architectural companies.
Silcott went on to a extremely profitable profession that propelled him to a number of metropolis and county-wide appointments to key group boards and commissions by L.A. Mayors Tom Bradley and Richard Riordan. He was a principal of Kennard Design Group Architects, previously the biggest Black-owned agency west of the Mississippi River within the U.S. The agency was the lead architect on quite a few giant and consequential constructing tasks throughout town and county that served the wants of minority L.A. communities.
In recognition of his life’s work, the American Institute of Architects elevated him to full membership within the prestigious Faculty of Fellows. AIA Fellowship is an honor of recognition of nationwide management that’s bestowed upon solely 3% of the nation’s 115,000 licensed architects.
Over the course of his profession, Silcott by no means waned in his devotion to his Howard College alma mater. He maintained a second residency in D.C., and a unbroken presence at Howard that included a six-year time period as a full member of the Howard Board of Trustees. His over $3 million of monetary help to Howard’s Faculty of Structure made him the nation’s foremost Black philanthropist in help of accelerating the variety of Black licensed architects within the U.S.
Silcott was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. He enrolled at Howard College in 1949 and left to serve a three-year tour of responsibility within the U.S. Military in the course of the Korean Battle. He rose to the rank of sergeant earlier than being honorably discharged.
Silcott returned to Howard College to finish the five-year Bachelor of Structure skilled diploma. He held licenses to apply structure within the states of California, New York, Massachusetts, and the District of Columbia.
In early 2020, James had a stroke which impacted him considerably; However James was a fighter. He moved to D.C. and lived his remaining years below the cautious watch of his superb nursing employees. James died peacefully in his mattress on the morning of July 17.
James is predeceased by his dad and mom, Louise and Joseph (Chris) Silcott; his sister, Ceceila O’Gara (nee Silcott); and brother, T. George Silcott (Kathleen Duffy Silcott). He’s survived by seven nieces and nephews: Julie Silcott Roberts (George Giamas), Tracy Delduco, Brian Silcott (Karen Healy Silcott), Larry Cain, Kurt Silcott (Chantelle Silcott), Ava Gustafson (Randy Gustafson), and Invoice Silcott; and their kids and grandchildren: Shawna, Adam, Andrew, Kaylee, Jada, Shiyah, Cameron, Demarco, Fox and Nasir.
