Clyde E. Woods, Indianapolis Architect

Q: Was Clyde E. Woods recognized among Indiana's African American architects?

Yes. In 1996 the Indianapolis Artsgarden exhibit African-American Architects and Architecture in Indiana: A Historical Perspective featured Woods alongside Walter Blackburn, Horace Cantrell and Wendell Campbell.

Clyde E. Woods (1937 to 2007) was an Indianapolis architect and one of Indiana’s early African American registered architects. Licensed in 1967, he cofounded Herman-Woods & Associates, led Clyde E. Woods & Associates for nearly 30 years, and designed more than a thousand homes as well as apartment communities and civic projects. In 1967 he completed his own family’s home at 252 W Beverly Drive, now known as the Woods House.

Timeline

1937: Born in Princeton, Indiana
1955: Graduates from Shortridge High School in Indianapolis
1967: Licensed as an Indiana architect; cofounds Herman-Woods & Associates; completes 252 W Beverly Dr for his family
1969: Ambassador Animal Clinic, 3705 N. Illinois Street
1971: Huntington Green apartments and clubhouse, E. 56th Street at I-465
1974: Auntie Mame’s Child Development Center; converts the original garage at 252 W Beverly into the family room
Later: Leads Clyde E. Woods & Associates for nearly 30 years, including Indianapolis Housing Agency neighborhood projects such as the Concord Village HOPE VI redevelopment
1996: Featured in the Indianapolis Artsgarden exhibit on African American architects in Indiana
2007: Dies January 16 at age 69; buried at Crown Hill Cemetery

His work in Indianapolis

The Indianapolis Recorder documented Woods’s buildings and civic work across three decades:

1969: The Recorder featured the “ultra-modern” Ambassador Animal Clinic at 3705 N. Illinois Street, built for Dr. Earl Corbitt, then the city’s only Black veterinarian, noting that the architect was Clyde Woods. (Indianapolis Recorder, October 25, 1969)
1972: Woods appeared as a member of the Citizens for Progress Committee, presenting a gift to the Indianapolis Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation. (Indianapolis Recorder, February 5, 1972)
1974: Auntie Mame’s Child Development Center opened with its Blue, Orange and Green classrooms. “Clyde E. Woods is the architect.” (Indianapolis Recorder, December 28, 1974)
1995: His firm, Clyde E. Woods & Associates, was named to restore the historic “point building” on Indiana Avenue, planned as a jazz restaurant honoring the Avenue’s musicians and Black-owned businesses. (Indianapolis Recorder, December 23, 1995)
1996: The Indianapolis Artsgarden exhibit “African-American Architects and Architecture in Indiana: A Historical Perspective” featured Woods alongside Walter Blackburn, Horace Cantrell and Wendell Campbell. (Indianapolis Recorder, January 27, 1996)

The house he built for his family

In 1967 Woods designed a home for his own family on a wooded ravine in north Butler-Tarkington. He drew on Japanese architecture and the organic modernism of Bruce Goff, Paul Rudolph and E. Fay Jones: pyramidal rooflines, deep eaves, stone and wood, and a house set into the hillside so that it seems to disappear into its setting. He valued privacy, and the family kept the yard wooded and natural.

As his family grew, Woods converted the original garage into a family room in 1974, with a recessed wood pyramid ceiling and a patio that let neighborhood children come straight in. A hallway led to the new garage, where he kept a small workshop. There he built his own speakers, which filled the house with jazz, and fixed his children’s bikes. His daughter remembers that he designed the house and kept it running with his own hands.

Growing up in the Woods House

His daughter describes growing up in “a literal treehouse.” Because the house is built into the hillside, there were hiding places everywhere: under the footbridge, under the eaves and beneath the open floating staircase. The family watched the leaves change every autumn from the living room couch and camped in a small tent on the dining room balcony. Three generations of the family have called the house home.

See the Woods House at 252 W Beverly Drive | Inside the house | Questions and answers

Questions and answers

Who was Clyde E. Woods?

Clyde E. Woods (1937 to 2007) was one of Indiana’s early African American registered architects. Born in Princeton, Indiana, and a 1955 graduate of Shortridge High School, he was licensed in 1967, cofounded Herman-Woods & Associates, led Clyde E. Woods & Associates for nearly 30 years, and designed more than a thousand homes in Indianapolis.

When did Clyde E. Woods die?

Clyde E. Woods died on January 16, 2007, at age 69, and is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.

What buildings did Clyde E. Woods design in Indianapolis?

The Indianapolis Recorder credits him with the Ambassador Animal Clinic at 3705 N. Illinois Street (1969) and Auntie Mame’s Child Development Center (1974). His firm was named in 1995 to restore the historic “point building” on Indiana Avenue. He also designed his family’s home, the Woods House, in 1967.

Was Clyde E. Woods recognized among Indiana’s African American architects?

Yes. In 1996 the Indianapolis Artsgarden exhibit “African-American Architects and Architecture in Indiana: A Historical Perspective” featured Woods alongside Walter Blackburn, Horace Cantrell and Wendell Campbell.

What influenced the design of the Woods House?

Japanese architecture and the organic modernism of Bruce Goff, Paul Rudolph and E. Fay Jones, seen in its pyramidal rooflines, deep eaves, stone and wood, and the way it sits into the land.

Did Clyde E. Woods live in the house he designed?

Yes. He built it for his family in 1967, added the family room in 1974, and built his own speakers in the garage workshop. The house has stayed in the Woods family ever since.

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Last updated October 16, 2026.