Norma Merrick Sklarek was born on April 15, 1926, in Harlem, New York. Her parents, Dr. Walter Ernest Merrick, a doctor, and Amy Merrick (née Willoughby), a seamstress, were immigrants from Trinidad. She grew up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. At home, Norma's father engaged her in a wide range of activities, including fishing, painting, and carpentry. For high school, Norma attended Hunter College High School, an all-girls magnet school with a predominately white student body. Norma excelled academically, keeping up with the rigors of academic study. Noticing Norma's propensity towards visual arts and mathematics, her father suggested she pursue architecture as a career.
After receiving her degree, Sklarek was denied employment by 19 architectural firms. She accepted a position as junior draftsperson at the New York Department of Public Works. After four years of dissatisfaction with the position, Sklarek registered for the New York State architect's licensure examination, hoping that this certification would allow her access to employment at an architecture firm. In 1954, Sklarek became the first Black woman to become a licensed architect in the state of New York, after passing the licensure exam on her first try. Within a year of attaining her license, she was hired at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, a position that exposed her to hands-on, skill-building projects. Sklarek would maintain this position at SOM for a five-year period that became the foundation for her career as an architect. During this time, Sklarek also taught architecture at the New York City Community College.
After leaving Welton Becket Associates in 1985, Sklarek co-founded her own firm with Margot Siegel AIA and Katherine Diamond FAIA. The firm, Siegel Sklarek Diamond, was the largest woman-owned firm at the time. The firm, under Sklarek's direction, would go on to complete a wide range of projects across southern California, including the Student Counseling and Resource Center (1988) and Early Childhood Education Center (1989) at the University of California Irvine, as well as the Los Angeles Air Traffic Control Tower (1995). Siegel Sklarek Diamond had projects valued at as much as $50 million under way at one time. Hoping to work on larger projects again, Sklarek left the firm in 1989 to join Jon Jerde Partnership as principal. In this final stint of her career, Sklarek would work on the Mall of America.
Sklarek retired in 1992. Following her retirement, Sklarek was appointed by the state governor to serve on the California Architects Board and served as chair of the American Institute of Architects National Ethics Council for several years.
Sklarek had two sons named Gregory and David Fairweather as well as three marriages during her career. As a single parent in the start of her career, her mother took the role of watching the children so she could begin her new profession. After being known as Norma Merrick Fairweather in one of her marriages, she changed her last name to Sklarek in 1967 when she married Bauhaus graduate Rolf Sklarek, a Gruen architect whom she met at the Gruen Associates Firm. Rolf Sklarek died in 1984 and she married Dr. Cornelius Welch a few years later.
She died of heart failure on February 6, 2012, at her home in Pacific Palisades, California.
While a director at Gruen Associates, Sklarek collaborated with César Pelli on a number of projects.
"News from California, the nation and world". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://www.latimes.com/
"Biography of Architect Norma Sklarek". ThoughtCo. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://www.thoughtco.com/norma-merrick-sklarek-faia-177422
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". Pioneering Women of American Architecture. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
Margaret, Mazurkiewicz (2013). Gale Publication (ed.). "Contemporary Black Biography (Vol. 101.)". Gale eBooks. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2010700001/GVRL?u=nysl_ce_syr&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=175bfa4f
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". Pioneering Women of American Architecture. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
Margaret, Mazurkiewicz (2013). Gale Publication (ed.). "Contemporary Black Biography (Vol. 101.)". Gale eBooks. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2010700001/GVRL?u=nysl_ce_syr&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=175bfa4f
Ehrhart-Morrison, Dorothy (1997). No mountain high enough : secrets of successful African American women. Berkeley, CA: Conari. ISBN 0-943233-98-4. OCLC 35599913. 0-943233-98-4
Ehrhart-Morrison, Dorothy (1997). No mountain high enough : secrets of successful African American women. Berkeley, CA: Conari. ISBN 0-943233-98-4. OCLC 35599913. 0-943233-98-4
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". Pioneering Women of American Architecture. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
"Norma Sklarek | Columbia Celebrates Black History and Culture". blackhistory.news.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://blackhistory.news.columbia.edu/people/norma-sklarek
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". Pioneering Women of American Architecture. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". Pioneering Women of American Architecture. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
"News from California, the nation and world". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://www.latimes.com/
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". Pioneering Women of American Architecture. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
Lewis, Anna M. (2014). Women of Steel and Stone : 22 Inspirational Architects, Engineers, and Landscape Designers (1st ed.). Chicago. ISBN 978-1-61374-509-0. OCLC 867631321.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) 978-1-61374-509-0
"Norma Sklarek | Columbia Celebrates Black History and Culture". blackhistory.news.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://blackhistory.news.columbia.edu/people/norma-sklarek
"Remembering Norma Merrick Sklarek, an Architect of Many Firsts". archive.pinupmagazine.org. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://archive.pinupmagazine.org/articles/article-norma-merrick-sklarek-first-liscensed-black-woman-architect-new-york-california-natalia-torija
"Biography of Architect Norma Sklarek". ThoughtCo. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://www.thoughtco.com/norma-merrick-sklarek-faia-177422
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". Pioneering Women of American Architecture. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
"Remembering Norma Merrick Sklarek, an Architect of Many Firsts". archive.pinupmagazine.org. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://archive.pinupmagazine.org/articles/article-norma-merrick-sklarek-first-liscensed-black-woman-architect-new-york-california-natalia-torija
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". Pioneering Women of American Architecture. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
"News from California, the nation and world". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://www.latimes.com/
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". Pioneering Women of American Architecture. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org. Retrieved 2024-03-05. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". Pioneering Women of American Architecture. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
Lewis, Anna M. (2014). Women of Steel and Stone : 22 Inspirational Architects, Engineers, and Landscape Designers (1st ed.). Chicago. ISBN 978-1-61374-509-0. OCLC 867631321.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) 978-1-61374-509-0
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". Pioneering Women of American Architecture. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
Lewis, Anna M. (2014). Women of Steel and Stone : 22 Inspirational Architects, Engineers, and Landscape Designers (1st ed.). Chicago. ISBN 978-1-61374-509-0. OCLC 867631321.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) 978-1-61374-509-0
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". Pioneering Women of American Architecture. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
Ehrhart-Morrison, Dorothy (1997). No mountain high enough : secrets of successful African American women. Berkeley, CA: Conari. ISBN 0-943233-98-4. OCLC 35599913. 0-943233-98-4
"News from California, the nation and world". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://www.latimes.com/
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". Pioneering Women of American Architecture. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
"News from California, the nation and world". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://www.latimes.com/
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". Pioneering Women of American Architecture. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". Pioneering Women of American Architecture. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
Lewis, Anna M. (2014). Women of Steel and Stone : 22 Inspirational Architects, Engineers, and Landscape Designers (1st ed.). Chicago. ISBN 978-1-61374-509-0. OCLC 867631321.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) 978-1-61374-509-0
Bailey, Jeff. "Legacy: A Pioneering African-American Architect". Inc.com. Retrieved November 30, 2022. https://www.inc.com/rebecca-deczynski/power-of-purpose-list-impact-driven-companies.html
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". Pioneering Women of American Architecture. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". Pioneering Women of American Architecture. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
"News from California, the nation and world". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://www.latimes.com/
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". Pioneering Women of American Architecture. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
Ehrhart-Morrison, Dorothy (1997). No mountain high enough : secrets of successful African American women. Berkeley, CA: Conari. ISBN 0-943233-98-4. OCLC 35599913. 0-943233-98-4
Kaplan, Victoria (2006). Structural inequality : black architects in the United States. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 0-7425-4582-2. OCLC 62732678. 0-7425-4582-2
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". Pioneering Women of American Architecture. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
Lewis, Anna M. (2014). Women of Steel and Stone : 22 Inspirational Architects, Engineers, and Landscape Designers (1st ed.). Chicago. ISBN 978-1-61374-509-0. OCLC 867631321.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) 978-1-61374-509-0
"News from California, the nation and world". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://www.latimes.com/
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". Pioneering Women of American Architecture. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
"Biography of Architect Norma Sklarek". ThoughtCo. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://www.thoughtco.com/norma-merrick-sklarek-faia-177422
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". Pioneering Women of American Architecture. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
Lewis, Anna M. (2014). Women of Steel and Stone : 22 Inspirational Architects, Engineers, and Landscape Designers (1st ed.). Chicago. ISBN 978-1-61374-509-0. OCLC 867631321.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) 978-1-61374-509-0
Bailey, Jeff. "Legacy: A Pioneering African-American Architect". Inc.com. Retrieved November 30, 2022. https://www.inc.com/rebecca-deczynski/power-of-purpose-list-impact-driven-companies.html
Nancy (2021-03-29). "An Inside Look at Siegel Sklarek Diamond". Optima. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://www.optima.inc/an-inside-look-at-siegel-sklarek-diamond/
Margaret, Mazurkiewicz (2013). Gale Publication (ed.). "Contemporary Black Biography (Vol. 101.)". Gale eBooks. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2010700001/GVRL?u=nysl_ce_syr&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=175bfa4f
"News from California, the nation and world". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://www.latimes.com/
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". Pioneering Women of American Architecture. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
Kaplan, Victoria (2006). Structural inequality : black architects in the United States. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 0-7425-4582-2. OCLC 62732678. 0-7425-4582-2
"News from California, the nation and world". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-11-30. https://www.latimes.com/
Ehrhart-Morrison, Dorothy (1997). No mountain high enough : secrets of successful African American women. Berkeley, CA: Conari. ISBN 0-943233-98-4. OCLC 35599913. 0-943233-98-4
Ehrhart-Morrison, Dorothy (1997). No mountain high enough : secrets of successful African American women. Berkeley, CA: Conari. ISBN 0-943233-98-4. OCLC 35599913. 0-943233-98-4
Lewis, Anna M. (2014). Women of Steel and Stone : 22 Inspirational Architects, Engineers, and Landscape Designers (1st ed.). Chicago. ISBN 978-1-61374-509-0. OCLC 867631321.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) 978-1-61374-509-0
Bailey, Jeff. "Legacy: A Pioneering African-American Architect". Inc.com. Retrieved November 30, 2022. https://www.inc.com/rebecca-deczynski/power-of-purpose-list-impact-driven-companies.html
Woo, Elaine. "Pioneering African American architect". Los Angeles Times, Feb. 10, 2012. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2012-feb-10-la-me-norma-sklarek-20120210-story.html
Ehrhart-Morrison, Dorothy (1997). No Mountain High Enough: Secrets of Successful African American Women. Berkeley, CA: Conari. pp. 18, 30, 150–52. ISBN 978-0943233987. 978-0943233987
Morton, Patricia (2020). McLeod, Mary; Rosner, Victoria (eds.). "Norma Merrick Sklarek". Pioneering Woman of American Architecture. Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
Morton, Patricia (2020). McLeod, Mary; Rosner, Victoria (eds.). "Norma Merrick Sklarek". Pioneering Woman of American Architecture. Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
"Norma Merrick Sklarek – First Black Woman to Become a US Architect". Architecture.about.com. 1928-04-15. Retrieved 2012-02-11. http://architecture.about.com/od/architectsaz/p/sklarek.htm
Morton, Patricia (2020). McLeod, Mary; Rosner, Victoria (eds.). "Norma Merrick Sklarek". Pioneering Woman of American Architecture. Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
Lewis, Anna M. (2014). Women of Steel and Stone : 22 Inspirational Architects, Engineers, and Landscape Designers (First ed.). Independent Pub Group. pp. 52–59. ISBN 978-1613745083. 978-1613745083
Woo, Elaine. "Pioneering African American architect". Los Angeles Times, Feb. 10, 2012. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2012-feb-10-la-me-norma-sklarek-20120210-story.html
Morton, Patricia (2020). McLeod, Mary; Rosner, Victoria (eds.). "Norma Merrick Sklarek". Pioneering Woman of American Architecture. Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
Margaret, Mazurkiewicz (2013). Gale Publication (ed.). "Contemporary Black Biography (Vol. 101.)". Gale eBooks. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2010700001/GVRL?u=nysl_ce_syr&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=175bfa4f
Morton, Patricia (2020). McLeod, Mary; Rosner, Victoria (eds.). "Norma Merrick Sklarek". Pioneering Woman of American Architecture. Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org. Retrieved 2024-03-05. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org. Retrieved 2024-03-05. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org. Retrieved 2024-03-05. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org. Retrieved 2024-03-05. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org. Retrieved 2024-03-05. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org. Retrieved 2024-03-05. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org. Retrieved 2024-03-05. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
"Pioneering Women of American Architecture". pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org. Retrieved 2024-03-05. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
Margaret, Mazurkiewicz (2013). Gale Publication (ed.). "Contemporary Black Biography (Vol. 101.)". Gale eBooks. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2010700001/GVRL?u=nysl_ce_syr&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=175bfa4f
Margaret, Mazurkiewicz (2013). Gale Publication (ed.). "Contemporary Black Biography (Vol. 101.)". Gale eBooks. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2010700001/GVRL?u=nysl_ce_syr&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=175bfa4f
Margaret, Mazurkiewicz (2013). Gale Publication (ed.). "Contemporary Black Biography (Vol. 101.)". Gale eBooks. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2010700001/GVRL?u=nysl_ce_syr&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=175bfa4f
Morton, Patricia (2020). McLeod, Mary; Rosner, Victoria (eds.). "Norma Merrick Sklarek". Pioneering Woman of American Architecture. Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
Morton, Patricia (2020). McLeod, Mary; Rosner, Victoria (eds.). "Norma Merrick Sklarek". Pioneering Woman of American Architecture. Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
Morton, Patricia (2020). McLeod, Mary; Rosner, Victoria (eds.). "Norma Merrick Sklarek". Pioneering Woman of American Architecture. Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
Lewis, Anna M. (2014). Women of Steel and Stone : 22 Inspirational Architects, Engineers, and Landscape Designers (First ed.). Independent Pub Group. pp. 52–59. ISBN 978-1613745083. 978-1613745083
Woo, Elaine. "Pioneering African American architect". Los Angeles Times, Feb. 10, 2012. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2012-feb-10-la-me-norma-sklarek-20120210-story.html
Morton, Patricia (2020). McLeod, Mary; Rosner, Victoria (eds.). "Norma Merrick Sklarek". Pioneering Woman of American Architecture. Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
"New Terminals Boost Airport Capacity". Building Design & Construction. 26 (4): 68–74. April 1985. OCLC 2246731 – via EBSCOhost. /wiki/OCLC_(identifier)
Woo, Elaine. "Pioneering African American architect". Los Angeles Times, Feb. 10, 2012. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2012-feb-10-la-me-norma-sklarek-20120210-story.html
Griffith, Susan J. "Normal Merrick Sklarek". Blackpast.org (website). Accessed Oct 27, 2015. http://www.blackpast.org/aah/sklarek-norma-merrick-1928-2012
Morton, Patricia (2020). McLeod, Mary; Rosner, Victoria (eds.). "Norma Merrick Sklarek". Pioneering Woman of American Architecture. Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation. https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/
"New Terminals Boost Airport Capacity". Building Design & Construction. 26 (4): 68–74. April 1985. OCLC 2246731 – via EBSCOhost. /wiki/OCLC_(identifier)