Samuel Plato
Encyclopedia
Samuel M. Plato was an African-American architect
and builder who is noted for contributions to the African-American community in Louisville
and imaginative designs elsewhere in the country.
) in Louisville in 1902 and then completed a mail-order program in architecture with International Correspondence Schools.
Plato was a pioneer for African Americans. He spent 19 years after graduation in Marion, Indiana
ending in the early 1920s. This was at a time that the Ku Klux Klan had reached an all-time record half a million members in Indiana. Despite this, he found support early on by Marion business owners John Schaumleffel and Wood Wilson. In Marion, 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 built 38 of them in total by the end of his life. He was one of only a few African-American contractors to build federal government defense housing projects during World War II
.
At one point, he was hired in Decatur, Alabama
to work on a post office without realizing he was black and skipped the welcome party and got right to work to avoid an unpleasant situation.
Historians state Plato was successful because of his persistent efforts and because his reputation for quality and integrity could not be ignored.
His second wife, Samuel an Elnora Plato (1891–1975), helped put several nieces and nephews though college and graduate school, with Plato employing some of them on jobs in Louisville and Washington, D.C.. Elnora Plato was his constant travel companion and business manager. Having built her own successful dressmaking business before their marriage, she used the funds from this enterprise to help Plato. She funded the cost of Samuel's sister's new house in Waugh and was able to keep Samuel's sister's company from going bankrupt.
-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
, including the Broadway Temple A.M.E. Zion Church in Louisville.
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. Elnora Plato said he "was a pioneer for years and he wanted his business to live. Then, too, he wanted to inspire young engineers."
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and builder who is noted for contributions to the African-American community in Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
and imaginative designs elsewhere in the country.
Early years
Plato was born in Waugh, Alabama. He graduated from State University Normal School (now Simmons College of KentuckySimmons College of Kentucky
Simmons College of Kentucky, also referred to as Simmons College and Simmons Bible College, is a private, co-educational college located in Louisville, Kentucky. Founded in 1879, Simmons College is a historically black college...
) in Louisville in 1902 and then completed a mail-order program in architecture with International Correspondence Schools.
Plato was a pioneer for African Americans. He spent 19 years after graduation in Marion, Indiana
Marion, Indiana
Marion is a city in Grant County, Indiana, United States. The population was 29,948 as of the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Grant County...
ending in the early 1920s. This was at a time that the Ku Klux Klan had reached an all-time record half a million members in Indiana. Despite this, he found support early on by Marion business owners John Schaumleffel and Wood Wilson. In Marion, 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
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, and built 38 of them in total by the end of his life. He was one of only a few African-American contractors to build federal government defense housing projects during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
At one point, he was hired in Decatur, Alabama
Decatur, Alabama
Decatur is a city in Limestone and Morgan Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The city, affectionately known as "The River City", is located in Northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake, along the Tennessee River. It is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County...
to work on a post office without realizing he was black and skipped the welcome party and got right to work to avoid an unpleasant situation.
Historians state Plato was successful because of his persistent efforts and because his reputation for quality and integrity could not be ignored.
Family
Plato believed in helping others and devoting himself to his family. In 1939 he devised a plan to move his sister and her family off the old homestead in Waugh, Alabama, and into a new home nearby.His second wife, Samuel an Elnora Plato (1891–1975), helped put several nieces and nephews though college and graduate school, with Plato employing some of them on jobs in Louisville and Washington, D.C.. Elnora Plato was his constant travel companion and business manager. Having built her own successful dressmaking business before their marriage, she used the funds from this enterprise to help Plato. She funded the cost of Samuel's sister's new house in Waugh and was able to keep Samuel's sister's company from going bankrupt.
Legacy
Plato designed and built a wide variety of buildings from New York to Alabama, including Greek Revival and CraftsmanAmerican Craftsman
The American Craftsman Style, or the American Arts and Crafts Movement, is an American domestic architectural, interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts style and lifestyle philosophy that began in the last years of the 19th century. As a comprehensive design and art...
-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
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, including the Broadway Temple A.M.E. Zion Church in Louisville.
During his career he was in demand as a speaker at The Tuskegee Institute
Tuskegee University
Tuskegee University is a private, historically black university located in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. It is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund...
and The Hampton Institute. He was honored posthumously in 1960 by the Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
School of Engineering and Architecture, where he had been a special lecturer. He was admired and respected by everyone. Elnora Plato said he "was a pioneer for years and he wanted his business to live. Then, too, he wanted to inspire young engineers."