Julian Francis Abele was born in 1881 to a prominent African American family in Philadelphia. He was the youngest of 8 children born to Charles and Mary Adelaide Jones Abele.
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Abele was the first Black student admitted to the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Architecture. Being Black, he was not allowed to live in the dormitories or eat in the dining halls. Nevertheless, he was elected President of the student architectural society by his classmates and graduated in 1902.
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In 1906, Abele joined the Horace Trumbauer firm as assistant to the chief designer. By 1909, Abele advanced to chief designer.
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As chief designer of the firm, Abele was responsible for the design of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Museum's exterior terracing, including the famous 'Rocky' steps. Abele designed the Widener Memorial Library at Harvard and the James B. Duke home on 5th Avenue, currently NYU's Institute of Fine Arts.
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The Duke commission led to Abele and Trumbauer being given the commission to design Duke University's new 'West' campus. From1924 - 1950, Abele designed at least 30 buildings at Duke, including the iconic Duke Chapel and the Cameron Indoor Stadium.
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Despite his role as chief designer, Abele rarely came to building sites. At the time, most construction work was done by European immigrants via trade unions. The trade unions were notoriously discriminatory and would threaten any non-Europeans on site. There is an anecdote that on one of his two possible trips to NC to visit the Duke campus, Abele was denied a room at a nearby hotel, while his white junior assistant was allowed to check-in.
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In 1988 Duke University honored Abele by displaying his portrait in the main lobby of the Allen Building. It was the first portrait of an African-American to be displayed on campus. The main quad is now named Abele Quad and a dedication plaque was placed at the center of west campus.
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Julian Abele died in Philadelphia on April 23, 1950.
