SAH | Places Prize Lecture: Ginger Nolan | Graham Foundation

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Join the Graham Foundation, Places Journal, and the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) for the SAH | Places Prize Lecture featuring architectural historian Ginger Nolan. Nolan, the inaugural recipient of the SAH | Places Prize on Race and the Built Environment, will present her lecture titled "Black Capitalism and the City: African American Insurance and the Actuarial Imagination". This event, taking place on October 20, 2023, at the Graham Foundation in Chicago, will explore the history of African American insurance companies and their significant role in shaping cities and suburbs. As African American-owned insurance companies held more wealth than any other African American enterprise throughout most of the twentieth century, they used their influence to address issues such as redlining, disinvestment, and segregation. Nolan's talk will examine how these companies employed housing developments and corporate architecture, including the first and only African American skyscraper, to challenge discriminatory urban practices and racial stereotypes. The lecture will also delve into the intersection of Black capitalism and Black Marxism in the context of these insurance companies' urban and architectural interventions. Following the lecture, there will be a discussion moderated by architectural historian Charles L. Davis II. This program is presented in partnership with the Chicago Architecture Biennial: CAB 5: This is a Rehearsal.