“You encounter racism, but you don’t link it to that,” she said.
Ms. Graziolo, trustee of the non-profit Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, admires Classicism for its symmetry, proportions and respect for human scale, pointing out the ideal height for a windowsill, for example. She is inspired Through photographer Pieter Estersohn’s Greek Revival home in Red Hook, NY, and she cares about preserving historic buildings. But she resists government attempts to “dictate” an architectural style.
“There are some beautiful modern structures,” she added.
Her former boss, Mr. Pennoyer, was at Notre Dame’s career fair this spring and managed to snag a few graduates. “It’s a small world, with companies that operate just like ours,” he said.
Ms. Graziolo’s young company could not compete with more established companies like his, and she could only hire one person. But it’s not surprising that given her knack for finding alternative ways to get a job done, she’s discovered other ways to recruit new people — and sometimes give aspiring black architects an edge.
Mrs. Graziolo, a Cooper Union trustee, makes time to meet with students from her alma mater.
“She has served as a mentor and role model, especially to young female architects,” said Laura Sparks, president of the university.
Ms. Graziolo has also established a relationship with Mississippi State University through a Design Leadership Network initiative, and has had black students from the College of Architecture, Art and Design intern at Yellow House.
Cole Arrington, 20, a black junior in college, spent three weeks at Ms Graziolo’s New York office this summer and said he was glad his first internship was at a company led by a minority executive.
