Uploaded February 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Trailblazing architect John Moutoussamy was a true creative force over four decades of local practice. His designs ranged from Bronzeville’s Lawless Gardens housing complex and the landmarked Johnson Publishing Building to several schools and health care facilities and the architect’s own home in the Chatham neighborhood (pictured). Moutoussamy studied under Mies van der Rohe at IIT in the 1940s and later was the first Black architect promoted to partner at a major firm, Dubin Dubin Black & Moutoussamy.
We recently hosted a conversation exploring Moutoussamy’s career and lasting impact with his daughter Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, an accomplished photographer and activist for social change and civil rights, and IIT Professor Michelangelo Sabatino.
Trailblazing architect John Moutoussamy was a true creative force over four decades of local practice. His designs ranged from Bronzeville’s Lawless Gardens housing complex and the landmarked Johnson Publishing Building to several schools and health care facilities and the architect’s own home in the Chatham neighborhood (pictured). Moutoussamy studied under Mies van der Rohe at IIT in the 1940s and later was the first Black architect promoted to partner at a major firm, Dubin Dubin Black & Moutoussamy.
We recently hosted a conversation exploring Moutoussamy’s career and lasting impact with his daughter Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, an accomplished photographer and activist for social change and civil rights, and IIT Professor Michelangelo Sabatino.
