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Councilman Jamie Gauthier (3rd District) recently introduced a resolution to honor the life of the late Emanuel Kelly and celebrate his legacy. Emanuel Kelly is a groundbreaking architect, longtime Temple University professor, and advocate for affordable housing and equity.
Kelly died on January 12 at the age of 80. He spent the last 45 years of his life living across from Clark Park in a Queen Anne-style house that he personally renovated.
Gauthier’s resolution, introduced last week at a City Council meeting, celebrates Kelly’s historic career and honors his many contributions to Philadelphia.
“Today, we honor one of Philadelphia’s homegrown heroes and a respected member of Philadelphia’s ongoing black history,” Gauthier said. “Emmanuel Kelly may have passed away last month, but his mark on Philadelphia — figuratively and literally — will live on for generations.”
Kelly’s wife, family, friends, colleagues and admirers testified in public comments about Mr. Kelly’s legacy.
Kelly founded Kelly Maiello Architects (KMA), one of the city’s first black architecture firms and the inspiration for the Reading Station Marketplace, the Pennsylvania Convention Center and the Presidential Palace at Independence National Historical Park. Other projects KMA has been involved in include renovating City Hall Courthouse, the new West Philadelphia High School, the Criminal Justice Center, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Zoo, the John Coltrane Museum and dozens of other public spaces.
In 1993, Kelly became the first black president of the Philadelphia chapter of the American Institute of Architects. He co-founded the Community Design Collaborative two years ago and is active in the Design Initiative Group and the National Organization of Minority Architects. He was a professor of architecture at Temple University for more than twenty years and served as chairman of the Philadelphia Arts Council and as a member of the Fairmount Park Art Association, the Philadelphia Zoning Reform Commission, and the Philadelphia Community Development Forum.
Kelly received the Pioneer Award from the Minority Business Development Council, the Historic Preservation Visionary Award from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, and the Medal of Distinction from the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
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