Samuel M. Plato (1882-1957) is a relatively unknown African-American architect who practiced in Marion, Indiana from 1902-1921. The limited information available concerning Plato has hindered the research and documentation of the architecture produced during this era of his life. The current opinion is that Plato designed and constructed several houses and one church for wealthy white clients, and a single African-American church during his Marion tenure. This project has produced an historical context statement for Marion's African-American community, and a biographical sketch of Samuel M. Plato based primarily on daily newspaper accounts from 1902-1922. This research provided the needed insight to document the role Plato held in black society, and also produced the historical data necessary to document additional Plato structures. The findings of this study will be used to advocate further research and documentation of Plato's work throughout the United States. / Department of Architecture