During his Philadelphia childhood, Philip Freelon was part of a family of art appreciators that included his grandfather, a Harlem Renaissance painter. Always creative, Phil sketched, built models, sculpted, and wrote essays and poems. At school he excelled at math and science, but struggled with reading. His businessman father told his son about having to sleep in different Southern hotels than his white colleagues while traveling for work, and other discriminatory and racist incidents. As a college student, Phil read on his own about Black and Islamic architects and builders, subjects absent from his classes at North Carolina's State University of Architecture. All of these experiences and observations eventually shaped the design focus of his own firm, with its concentration on projects he felt could positively impact the world. Philip Freelon served as lead architect for the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opened in 2016. This accessible biography celebrates Mr. Freelon's remarkable career and the integrity and cultural vision at its foundation. (Ages 6-10)

You've seen the building. Now meet the man whose life went into it.

Philip Freelon's grandfather was an acclaimed painter of the Harlem Renaissance. His father was a successful businessman who attended the 1963 March on Washington. When Phil decided to attend architecture school, he created his own focus on African American and Islamic designers. He later chose not to build casinos or prisons, instead concentrating on schools, libraries, and museums--buildings that connect people with heritage and fill hearts with joy. And in 2009, Phil's team won a commission that let him use his personal history in service to the country's: the extraordinary Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Dream Builder: The Story of Architect Philip Freelon celebrates a contemporary black STEAM role model, a man whose quiet work enabled the creation of an iconic building reflecting America's past and future. With a stirring text by Kelly Starling Lyons, vibrant pictures by Laura Freeman, and an afterword from Philip Freelon himself, it is sure to inspire the next generation of dreamers and builders.