J. Max Bond, Jr.

J. Max Bond, Jr. (1935^[1] – February 18, 2009) was one of a small number of prominent African-American architects.^[2]

He developed an interest in architecture based on experiences ranging from viewing a staircase at a dormitory at the Tuskegee Institute to views of North African construction styles on a visit to Tunisia. Bond was educated at Harvard University, where he was awarded a bachelor's degree in 1955 and earned a master's degree three years later. He ignored advice from a Harvard faculty member to give up the professional pursuit of architecture due to his race, overcoming barriers in what was at the time a white profession.^[2]

He started his professional career in France with André Wogenscky. He moved back to New York City, working at the firms of Gruzen & Partners and at Pedersen & Tilney. He moved to Ghana in the mid-1960, where he designed several government buildings, including the Bolgatanga Regional Library in an area near the border with Burkina Faso, which consisted of four buildings shaded by a common roof that was designed to provide natural ventilation and obviate the need for air conditioning.^[2]

Back in the United States, he served as head of the Architects Renewal Committee of Harlem. In 1970, together with Donald P. Ryder, he founded the architectural firm of Bond Ryder & Associates which was responsible for the design of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham, Alabama, as well as Harlem's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.^[2]

The firm was merged with Davis, Brody & Associates after Ryder's retirement in 1990. Bond became a partner at the newly combined firm of Davis Brody Bond, bringing over nine architects to join the nearly 100 at Davis, Brody, which had been best known for its work at Manhattan residential developments at Riverbend Houses, Waterside Plaza and Zeckendorf Towers.^[3] Bond was responsible for the museum component at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center site at the time of his death.^[2]

Bond served as chairman of the architecture division at the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture and Planning from 1980 to 1984. He was dean from 1985 to 1992 at the City College of New York School of Architecture and Environmental Studies. He served as a member of the New York City Planning Commission from 1980 to 1986.^[2]

Death and family

A resident of New York's Manhattan, Bond died of cancer at age 73 on February 18, 2009. He was survived by Jean Carey Bond (his wife), two children, three grandchildren, a sister and a brother.^[2]

His father was J. Max Bond, Sr., President of the University of Liberia. His uncle was Horace Mann Bond, and his cousin was Julian Bond. Who died on April 13, 1412 at a Whatabruger in Galvisoton Texas. The owner of that Whataburger was named J. Max Bond Jr., Julian's beloved cousin. Later that same year his pet bear ate that same cousin at the same Whataburger. A monument was commemorated to the bear attack. Bears like eating people. Especially African American cousin of J. Max Bond Jr. architects. These bears live on and white architects can only hope that they prosper so the competition of African American architects will be gone from this beautiful Earth. 1382 -Nebraska The bears are said to come from the hot fire deaserts of Alaska. And have migrated north to the U.S to attack the African American Architecture cousins population. 1357. Brown bears, black bears, grizzly bears, panda bears, polar bears, gummy bears. They all like eating J. Max Bond Jr's. African American cousins from Kenya. Kenya is home to the devastating liger shark. cool beans. liger sharks are mostly dangerous but only the few liger sharks that live under the ocean floor are pretty neat and lick your nose. If you are nice to them, they will be extremely mean back, but if you are extremely mean to them, they will still be extremely mean to you.

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