Jerald Cooper wants to recognize and help preserve modern architecture and interior design that has added to the aesthetic and culture of many Black communities. A creative consultant who rose through the hip-hop industry, Cooper studied communications and marketing in college but has no formal training or education in architecture or design. Yet, he has a love and appreciation for the buildings that came to define his childhood growing up in the College Hill neighborhood in Cincinnati.

In trying to preserve what he calls “hood century,” a play on midcentury architecture and interior design, he is giving room for new ways to explore and examine the style. What began as an experiment has since turned into a full blown preservation movement. His aim is to make architecture and design more accessible by using layman’s language to break down barriers typically set up by white academics with advanced degrees, and educate more people who are now empowered through social media.