The Luna Park Historic District is distinct in its association with Charleston architect John C. Norman Sr. After first serving in the US Army Cavalry Engineers during World War I and studying architecture and structural engineering at Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, Norman settled in Charleston to begin what would become a life’s work in architecture.

Norman was the first Black architect to register in West Virginia. At the time, the industry was very difficult for African Americans. The fact that he built so many structures in Charleston demonstrates the respect the community had for Norman and his work.

Early in his career, Norman designed and supervised construction of a business complex along Washington Street East, in a new area now recognized locally as The Block Historic District. The Block was the heart of the black community, and Norman’s buildings included a hotel, a cinema, a pharmacy, and offices all owned and operated by members of the African-American community.

Norman was able to expand his practice during a post-war economic boom, designing homes for white families on the East End and in South Hills. At a time when he and his family would not be permitted to live there, Norman designed a row of five houses in the 300 block of Park Avenue. These retain much of their original character today. His own family home, also designed by Norman himself, was built at 1118 2nd Avenue. It remains with few alterations to its original design.

In 2014 Norman’s son told the Charleston Gazette that his father “was very conscious of the work he was doing and the time in which he was doing it. He seemed to transcend it.”