Samuel M. Plato (1882−1957) was a prominent African-American architect and builder who achieved national recognition for his imaginative designs. He completed his education and began his career during a time when segregation and racism were major obstacles for African-Americans who sought to pursue professional careers such as architecture.
When Plato graduated from State University Normal School in Louisville, Kentucky in 1902, and completed his mail-order program in architecture with International Correspondence Schools, he became part of a small group of pioneering African-American architects who made their mark early in the century.
Like other pioneers, Plato struggled against racism, helping pave the way for those who followed in his footsteps. During his early years in Marion, Indiana, he was successful in his fight to open up the building trade unions to African-American workers. He was the first African-American to be awarded a contract to build a post office, and was one of only a few African-American contractors to build federal government defense housing projects during World War II. Plato was successful because of his persistent efforts and because his reputation for quality and integrity could not be ignored.
Among the basic tenets of Plato’s life were his belief in helping others to help themselves and his devotion to his family, which was always at the center. In 1939, he devised a plan to move his sister and her family off the old homestead in Waugh, Alabama, into a new home nearby. Samuel and Elnora Plato (1891−1975) helped put several nieces and nephews though college and graduate school, and Plato employed some of them on jobs in Louisville and Washington, D.C. Elnora Plato, his second wife, was his constant traveling companion and business manager. She had built her own successful dressmaking business before their marriage, and she used her own funds from the enterprise to help make Plato’s dreams possible. She funded the cost of his sister’s new house in Waugh, and on more than one occasion, kept their company from going bankrupt.
Plato designed and built a wide variety of buildings, including Greek Revival and Craftsman-style houses, elegant mansions, post offices, banks, churches, schools, office buildings, theaters, and government housing projects. Eight of his buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic places. (see wikimarion.org or for more information)
During his career he was in demand as a speaker at The Tuskegee Institute and The Hampton Institute. He was honored posthumously in 1960 by the Howard University School of Engineering and Architecture, where he had been a special lecturer. He was admired and respected by everyone. Perhaps Elnora Plato summed it up best when she wrote that he “was a pioneer for years and he wanted his business to live. Then, too, he wanted to inspire young engineers.”
Source: https://filsonhistorical.org/a…
Samuel Plato was born in Waugh, Alabama, in 1882. His father was trained by a former slave and carpenter named Samuel Carter (Arts Indiana 24). Plato’s father had raised him to learn the craft of carpentry. To pay for college and train fare to the University of Louisville, Plato carved out wooden washboards, which he sold for $.25 each before heading off to college. Plato initially wanted to study the field of law, but soon his all-consuming interest was geared toward architecture and carpentry. While in college, he did a lot of work repairing campus buildings to earn tuition and board. After graduating, Plato relocated to Marion, IN, presumably to find work in the gas boom economy. Increasing numbers of people were flooding the area at the time, thus, houses and other public structures needed to be built. In his first few years in the Marion area, however, no contractor would hire him due to his race. His first job was refinishing the stairs and trim in an eight room house. The owner, impressed by his top-quality work, recommended him for two more jobs at other residences. From that point on, Plato had very little trouble finding work. Eventually, in the early 1920s, Plato returned to Louisville where he continued his career as a productive, high-quality architect and craftsman. Plato was the first African-American to be selected for the designing and contracting of federal buildings in the United States. He is credited with building a total of 20 post offices in New York, Jew Jersey, and Kentucky. In 1957, Samuel Plato died at home in Louisville.
The architecture of Samuel Plato is significant for many different reasons. The most prominent reason could be the success achieved by an African-American Architect in the early Twentieth Century. Samuel Plato turned to designing his own buildings and promoting himself after being turned away from most Caucasian-owned design and contracting companies. During the construction of his buildings, it was an unusual twist of fate that the very contractors which turned Plato down came to him seeking a job. Plato created success from failure, which is was a daunting task for anyone at the time.
Source: http://wikimarion.org/Samuel_P…,died%20at%20home%20in%20Louisville.
