Phil Freelon

Phil Freelon
Born(1953-03-26)March 26, 1953
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJuly 9, 2019(2019-07-09) (aged 66)
Durham, North Carolina, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationArchitect
Spouse
​
(m. 1979)​
Children3

Philip Goodwin Freelon (March 26, 1953 – July 9, 2019) was an American architect. He was best known for leading the design team (with J. Max Bond Jr. of Davis Brody Bond, and David Adjaye) of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Some of his other projects include the Center for Civil & Human Rights, the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture and the Museum of the African Diaspora. Freelon was a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (and the recipient of their Thomas Jefferson Award for Public Architecture), and a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Accredited Professional. In 2012, President Barack Obama appointed Freelon to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts.[1] Freelon was married to six-time Grammy nominated jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon.[2]

  1. ^ Thomas E. Luebke, ed., Civic Art: A Centennial History of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, 2013): Appendix B, p. 544.
  2. ^ Genzlinger, Neil (July 10, 2019). "Philip Freelon, African-American Museum Architect, Dies at 66". The New York Times.