Julian Francis Abele

Julian Francis Abele is a famous African American architect. He is also the chief designer of Horace Trumbauer’s office. He has contributed to the design of more than 400 buildings in his life, but the Duke University Chapel is the only building that he claimed authorship.

Julian Francis Abele

Julian Abele was born in Philadelphia in 1881. His maternal grandfather was Robert Jones, who founded the city’s Lombard Street Central Presbyterian Church. Julian Abele was the youngest of the eight children in his family. On his mother’s side, Abele was related to Absalom Jones, who was the founder of the Free African Society and St. Thomas Episcopal Church.

Abele entered the Quaker-run Institute for Colored Youth, Brown Prep School, and the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art. In 1898, he entered the University of Pennsylvania. He was one of the top students in his class and became the president of the student architectural society. Abele became the first black graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Architecture in 1902.

After he graduated from university, Abele was immediately hired by the well-known architect Horace Trumbauer. And Horace Trumbauer said he prepared to send Abele to Europe for three years of travel and study. In 1906, Abele backed Horace Trumbauer. After that, He had spent his entire career in this company and became chief designer in 1909. After Trumbauer died in 1938, Abele taking over the office.

Assigning design credit to individuals was difficult in the company just like every design company. Abele helped to shape most of the works in the company but was not the designer of every project.

The Free Library of Philadelphia is the important buildings that can be confidently assigned to him. His other works including Whitemarsh Hall which was an immense Pennsylvania mansion designed for banker Edward T. Stotesbury, the New York Evening Post Building, and the Duke University Chapel.

Duke University Chapel
Presentation drawing (1918) for the Free Library of Philadelphia
Preliminary study for the Philadelphia Museum of Art (1916)

He died because of a heart attack in 1950, Philadelphia.

Although Abele was a very mature, accomplished, and influential architect, racism also did limit the public recognition of his achievement and role. Racial prejudices deterred him to visit the Duke University Chapel he designed and delayed him from entering the American Institute of Architects until 8 years before he died.

Reference:
“Julian Abele, Designer Of Duke’S West Campus”. Julian Abele, https://spotlight.duke.edu/abele/.
“Julian Francis Abele Biography – Became First Black Graduate, Designed Harvard Yard Landmark, Portrait Hangs At Duke”. Biography.Jrank.Org, https://biography.jrank.org/pages/2892/Abele-Julian-Francis.html.
“Julian Francis Abele”. University Archives And Records Center, https://archives.upenn.edu/exhibits/penn-people/biography/julian-francis-abele.

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