PRW Career Mapper

Explore the Architectural Works of Paul R. Williams

About

PRW Career Mapper is a web-based data visualization tool created for researching the career of one of America’s most prolific architects, Paul Revere Williams, FAIA (1894-1980). PRW Career Mapper compiles previously published lists of Williams’ building projects and maps them based on date, location, use, and client type. The goal is to allow researchers a means of exploring the trajectory of his career.

The PRW Career Mapper consists of an interactive timeline and a corresponding map that displays the location of projects from the timeline. A side bar also lists the projects that are being displayed in text form.

Paul R Williams, 1951

Herald-Examiner Collection
Los Angeles Public Library

Paul R. Williams Mapper

View by Building Type View by Client Type

Frequently Asked Questions

How was the database of projects compiled?

There is no single comprehensive list of Paul Revere Williams’ projects. A combination of published and unpublished sources were cross-referenced to create the project list for this site. Best efforts were taken to reconcile discrepancies between project names and dates though there may be errors. For the sake of consistency, we have chosen to date projects according to completion of construction.

The following are published sources used to create the project list:

Paul Revere Williams Project. http://www.paulrwilliamsproject.org (Accessed June 13, 2022)
Henderson, Wesley. “Paul Revere Williams (1894-1980).”
In African American Architects: A Biographical Dictionary, edited by Dreck Spurlock Wilson.
1865-1945, 447-452. 1st ed. New York: Routledge, 2004.
Hudson, Karen E., and Paul R. Williams. Paul R. Williams, Architect: A Legacy of Style.
New York: Rizzoli, 1993.
US Modernist. https://usmodernist.org/pwilliams.htm (Accessed August 20, 2022)

Are all of Williams’ projects included?

It is thought that Williams undertook well over a three thousand building projects. Hence, the database displayed by the site is by no means complete. PRW Career Mapper is intended to serve as a living document under continuous revision.

Suggestions, corrections, and additions are welcome.

How can I learn more about Paul R. Williams?

“AIA Gold: Paul Revere Williams” is a reading list hosted by Places Journal online.
https://placesjournal.org/reading-list/aia-gold-paul-revere-williams
The sources on this list have been selected as foundational information for scholars interested in furthering research on Williams’ work.

Current and Past Contributors

(Project Lead)

Daisy-O’lice I. Williams

Associate Professor
University of Oregon

Kristi Potter, PhD

Data Visualization Scientist
National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Deborah W. Brackstone

Archivist
The Paul Revere Williams Project
University of Memphis Art Museum

Wesley H. Henderson, PhD

Historical Consultant
Assistant Professor
Tuskegee University

Alexandra Mickle

Graduate Student Assistant
University of Oregon

Azle Malinao-Alvarez

Interactive Technology Consultant
Digital Scholarship Center
University of Oregon Libraries

Sheila Rabun

Digital Project Manager
Digital Scholarship Center
University of Oregon Libraries

How to Use the Mapper

The PRW Career Mapper is an interactive visualization tool that shows the timespan and locations of works by architect Paul R Williams. The tool consists of a map, showing the global locations of projects, clustered by location and project type. Map markers are colored by the types shown in the timeline, and interactions in the timeline can filter map markers by date and type. A textual table list shows the markers filtered by timeline selections.

Users can filter what they see expressed in the timeline and map in multiple ways. They can move the time sliders to select a specific time range of interest and choose whether the display of projects will be categorized based on building use or client type. Results can be further refined by checking or unchecking the colored boxes next to each sub-category of the timeline.
The markers displayed in the map are color-coded to match the sub-category filters. Hovering over any of the markers on the map will display the name of the project and clicking a marker will reveal additional information about that particular building as well as highlight that project in the list. Zooming in will allow you to see each individual project in cases were markers are closely located.

Using the Map

The map shows the geographic locations of the projects, clustered by location and type (building or client). Users can pan and zoom using standard mouse interfaces. Clicking on a numbered marker expands the locational cluster. Clicking on an icon marker will reveal the project in the list. On the left of the map, there are 4 buttons that control viewing. From top to bottom: the plus button will zoom out the viewpoint, the home button will reset the viewpoint to the original view, the polygon button will zoom the viewpoint to the markers currently displayed, and the minus button will zoom out. The toggle button below the map will switch the type being shown between building and client type. The boxes in the timeline legend will remove or add particular types of markers to the map.

Using the Timeline

The timeline shows the length of time in which Paul R. Williams was active. The bottom-most line shows the total number of projects each year, the exact number can be seen by hovering over a dot. The colored lines show the works divided by type (either building or client). Users can switch the type using the toggle button above the timeline, which also changes the marker types in the map. The timeline can be used to filter the active map markers by time by using the mouse to move the half-circle handle on either side of the "All" timeline. This will also change the map markers and the textual list. The squares of the timeline legend can be clicked to toggle that sub-type on or off, also reflected in the map and list.

Using the Textual List

The textual list shows detailed information on all projects shown in the timeline. The list is not filtered by what is visible in the map, but does highlight a project when a map marker is clicked on. Users can sort the table by clicking on a column header cell. The list can also be popped out into a new window for a better viewing experience. Closing that new window will put the table back into the tool.

Downloading the Data

By clicking on the "Download Data" button, users can download the entire data set. The data file will be saved as "prwData.csv" and can be opened in a text editor or imported into excel.