7 African-American Architects Who’ve Built Successful Careers in a Challenging Industry

Darrell A. Fitzgerald

Darrell Fitzgerald has spent much of his 30-year career planning and designing an array of projects. He was a Principal at Gensler Architecture, Design & Planning Worldwide for 12 years. The firm is known as one of the world’s largest design companies. Some of his stand-out design projects include Bank of America, Deloitte Consulting, and Turner Broadcast Studios. He also spent 20 years as Vice President and Managing Principal with the firm of John S. Chase.  In 1999, Fitzgerald started his own firm, Fitzgerald Collaborative, which has offices in Houston, Atlanta, Tallahassee, and Dallas. Some of their projects have included the Dallas Convention Center, Chipola College Center for the Arts, Bell South, and the Houston Museum of African American Culture. Fitzgerald earned his B.A. in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.A. from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. In addition to his many accolades and awards, he has been elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows.