Julian Francis Abele was born in Philadelphia, PA on April 21, 1881. In 1902, Abele graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, with a degree in architecture, he was the school’s first black graduate. He died on April 23, 1950 of a heart attack. Abele work for the Trumbauer firm he became well known for the designing Harvard’s University Widener Memorial library and Philadelphia’s Free Library but Duke University was his biggest project. He designed three buildings on the campus, Duke University Chapel, Cameron Indoor Stadium, and the Allen Administrative Building. He also made furniture, jewelry, paintings, and lithographs as gifts for friends. In 1925, Abele married Marguerite Bulle and had three kids: Julian, Marguerite, and
