WILLIAM SIDNEY PITTMAN (1875-1958)

William Sidney Pittman was a noted black architect and advocate for civil rights. Working in both Washington, D.C. and Dallas, Texas, Pittman made significant contributions to each city’s physical and cultural landscape while also paving the way for more African Americans to become architects.

Pittman was born on April 21, 1875 in Montgomery, Alabama and educated in segregated public schools. As a young man he worked for his uncle, who was a carpenter. This would be a trade that would help sustain him later in life. In 1892 at the age of 17, he enrolled at Tuskegee University. While at Tuskegee he studied mechanical and architectural drawing. Pittman graduated in 1897 and then, with the support of Booker T. Washington, continued his education at the Drexel Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Drexel in 1900 with a diploma in architectural drawing.