As an undergraduate, Demar Matthews initially focused on biology and religion. However, inspired by others who used creativity to uplift their neighborhoods, he redirected his focus to constructing something permanent for Black communities.
“Before I went to architecture school, I was working for a Enterprise Rental Cars…and then a healthcare company. Eventually I had started a master’s in public health. But I wanted a career that allowed for creativity,” Matthews said.
Matthews’ early academic journey often felt uncertain, but architecture provided a steady path.
“I was a first-generation college student, unsure of what to major in. My career has been fast-paced and multifaceted,” he explained.
After rising through the ranks at the School of Architecture at Woodbury University, Matthews founded his own architectural firm, OffTop Design, committed to cultural competency and representation.
“The built environment should reflect cultures of the inhabitants. Buildings in different areas mirror the local culture and stand the test of time. That permanence is often missing in Black neighborhoods, but it’s something we need,” he emphasized.
Now, as a Center for Global Black Studies Social Justice in Design Fellow and U-SoA Teaching Fellow at the University of Miami’s School of Architecture, Matthews is working to represent Black communities in Miami.
Currently, Matthews is working on the second installment of his case study titled Unearthing A Black Aesthetic: Green Haven in Overtown, Miami’s first historically Black neighborhood. This project, which won the Social Justice Prize awarded by the School of Architecture, is a collaboration with Madison Brinnon, Assistant Director of Communications. Partnering with Green Haven Project, a Miami-based nonprofit focused on environmental education and fighting food injustice, Matthews and his students have finalized designs for an updated plant nursery and a new educational center.
“My fellowship project is in Overtown, one of Miami’s last Black neighborhoods. I’ve been gaining a better understanding and connection to the area,” Matthews said. “I ended up teaching a class where my students met residentis and community organizers from Green Haven Project, which led to our current collaboration.”
Working closely with Brinnon and the architecture students, Matthews quickly developed a design that honors Overtown’s history and community.
Growing up in Los Angeles, Matthews was surrounded by the Black community but felt a disconnect with the architecture around him. What other communities had in abundance, his own lacked. Through his firm and fellowship project, he aims to build something that is permanently and undeniably representative of Black culture.
“When people think of Black neighborhoods, there’s often a negative connotation. I want to create architecture that is derived from and celebrates the cultures that lives there,” he noted.
For Matthews, investing in existing community initiatives is crucial. His partnership with Green Haven Project reflects a commitment to culturally competent architecture and heralds a new era of design.
“We’re remodeling the nursery and adding an education center which will be used to teach local children about planting. We hope to start construction soon and complete everything by the end of Fall 2025,” he said.
Matthews believes that representing Black communities through lasting architecture is essential to redefining what a Black neighborhood is. Through his work, he seeks to merge culture and design, creating meaningful structures from the ground up.
“Black communities need enduring landmarks. Architecture should speak to us,” Matthews said. “I want to look at buildings and see myself in the design. I want my mom and niece to see parts of the design that resonate with them, too.”