Michaele Pride-Wells

Michaele Pride-Wells
Born	Michaele Pride 1956 (age 68–69) Granada Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Arizona State University Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Occupation(s)	Architect, educator
Years active	1981–present
Spouse	Reginald Wells
Children	1

Michaele Pride-Wells (born 1956),[1] is an American architect and educator. She is a professor of architecture at the University of New Mexico.[1] She was the first woman-owned and operated architecture firm in the state of California.[1] Pride-Wells was the founder of the firm RE: Architecture (1989–1996) in California.[2] She was also the first African American woman to head an architecture program in a majority institution when she joined the University of Kentucky in 1996.[1]

Biography

Michaele Pride-Wells was born in 1956 in the Granada Hills neighborhood in Los Angeles, California to parents Leatrice and Wallace Pride.[1] She attended John F. Kennedy High School in Granada Hills, class of 1974.[1] Pride-Wells graduated with a B.Arch 1981 from Arizona State University.[1] She is married to Reginald Wells and they have one child.[3]

In 1989, she opened her own firm RE: Architecture (also known as "Regarding Architecture" in Los Angeles and later in Marina del Rey.[2][4] She was the first woman-owned and operated architecture firm in the state of California.[1] She helped found the Design Professionals’ Coalition, a nonprofit which brought together architects, engineers and other builders after the 1992 Los Angeles riots, in order to help the local community rebuild.[3][5][6] In 1995, she served as an architectural consultant for the Leimert Park neighborhood developments, funded by the Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative.[7]

By 1996, she closed her firm in California to moved to Lexington, Kentucky. She served as the director of the University of Kentucky's downtown community design center starting in 1996; and "became the first African American woman to head an architecture program in a majority institution".[1][8] She was one of the fifteen judges for the creation of the Oklahoma Bombing Memorial (now known as the Oklahoma City National Memorial).[9][10] In 2001, she graduated with a M.AUD in Urban Design from Harvard University Graduate School of Design.[1]

Prior to joining the University of New Mexico, she additionally has taught at the University of Cincinnati (2003–2009); the University of California, Los Angeles; Woodbury University; and the University of Southern California.[1][11][12]

Publications

• Bailey, K; Grossardt, T.; Pride-Wells, M. (2017). "Community Design of a Light Rail Transit-Oriented District using CAVE (Casewise Visual Evaluation)". Socio-Economic Planning Sciences. 41 (3): 235–254. doi:10.1016/j.seps.2006.04.002.

See also

• African-American architects

References

1. "Michaele Pride, Architect, and Educator". African American Registry (AAREG).
2. "Top Women Architects". Ebony. Vol. 50, no. 10. August 1995. pp. 54–58. ISSN 0012-9011.
3. Betsky, Aaron (1993-09-26). "Stylemaker: Building With Heart". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
4. Women in Architecture Speakers Bureau. American Institute of Architects Women in Architecture Committee. American Institute of Architects. 1993. pp. 1, 16.
5. Kamin, Blair (1993-02-01). "Architect designs a program of hope for L.A. riot areas". Chicago Tribune. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
6. Dietsch, Deborah K. (April 1994). "Editor: Rebuilding Rebuilt L.A." (PDF). Architecture. pp. 2–3. ISSN 0746-0554.
7. "Leimert Park: Bolstering a 'Fragile' Place". The Los Angeles Times. 1995-07-08. p. 39. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
8. "UK students offer cures for downtown". Lexington Herald-Leader. 2001-11-08. p. 19. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
9. "New gallery opens in design center on Main". The Courier-Journal. 1997-07-13. p. 112. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
10. "Memorial: A Driving Need for Catharsis". The Los Angeles Times. 1997-04-19. pp. A1, A17, A18. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
11. "2 UC programs are tops in U.S." The Cincinnati Enquirer. 2003-12-11. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
12. "You want to be an architect?". The Cincinnati Enquirer. 2006-07-15. p. 15. Retrieved 2023-02-15.

External links

• Profile at the University of New Mexico