John A. Lankford (December 4, 1874 – July 2, 1946), American architect. He was the first professionally licensed

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

architect in Virginia in 1922 and in the District of Columbia in 1924. He has been regarded as the "dean of black architecture".

Life

John Lankford was born on a farm near

Potosi, Missouri Potosi is a city in Washington County, Missouri, United States. Potosi is seventy-two miles southwest of St. Louis. The population was 2,660 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Washington County. Located in the Lead Belt, the city ...

on December 4, 1874. He attended Lincoln Institute and

Tuskegee Institute Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature. The campus was de ...

historically black colleges Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. Mo ...

. He studied architectural and mechanical drawing from the International Correspondence School. He earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

from

Shaw University Shaw University is a private Baptist historically black university in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. Founded on December 1, 1865, Shaw University is the oldest HBCU to begin offering courses in ...

in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1898. He earned

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

degrees from

Morris Brown College Morris Brown College (MBC) is a private Methodist historically black liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded January 5, 1881, Morris Brown is the first educational institution in Georgia to be owned and operated entirely by African Ame ...

and

Wilberforce University Wilberforce University is a private historically black university in Wilberforce, Ohio. Affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), it was the first college to be owned and operated by African Americans. It participates in t ...

. He married Charlotte Josephine Upshaw in 1901. She was a granddaughter of

Henry McNeal Turner Henry McNeal Turner (February 1, 1834 – May 8, 1915) was an American minister, politician, and the 12th elected and consecrated bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME). After the American Civil War, he worked to establish new A.M ...

, a bishop of the

African Methodist Episcopal The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church or AME, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination. It adheres to Wesleyan-Arminian theology and has a connexional polity. The African Methodist Episcopal ...

church, the first independent black denomination founded in the United States. In 1902, Lankford moved to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

to finish the design of the

True Reformer Building The True Reformer Building is an historic building constructed for the True Reformers, an African American organization founded by William Washington Browne. The building is at 1200 U Street (Washington, D.C.), U Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C ...

. He was appointed supervising architect for the

denomination. He organized the

National Negro Business League The National Negro Business League (NNBL) was an American organization founded in Boston in 1900 by Booker T. Washington to promote the interests of African-American businesses. The mission and main goal of the National Negro Business League was ...

chapter in Washington, D.C. in 1905, and served as president of the National Technical Association from 1941 to 1942. His

Southern Aid Society The Southern Aid and Insurance Company is an insurance company that was founded in 1893, 28 years after the end of the American Civil War, by a group of black men (American men of African ancestry) in Richmond, Virginia. The purpose was to furnish ...

building in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

is considered the "first exclusively African American office building in the country, being the result of a collaboration between a black patron, architect, and contractor."''Built by Blacks: African American Architecture and Neighborhoods in Richmond'' by Selden Richardson, 2008. He lived and worked at 1448 Q Street, NW, in Washington, D. C.. Lankford died on July 2, 1946 in Washington, D.C. and is buried at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in

Suitland, Maryland Suitland is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, approximately one mile (1.6 km) southeast of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 census, its population was 25,839. Prio ...

Buildings

Buildings he designed include: *Arnett Hall,

*Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Atlanta, Georgia *Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Columbia, South Carolina * Chapelle Administration Building at

Allen University Allen University is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black university in Columbia, South Carolina. It has more than 600 students and still serves a predominantly Black constituency. The cam ...

, which is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

*Haven African Methodist Episcopal Church, Washington, DC *Southern Aid Society building, built 1908, stood at 527 N. 2nd Street, Richmond, Virginia *

, Washington, D.C. *Historic Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, 226 East Howry Avenue, DeLand, Florida Image:Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church (Atlanta, Georgia).jpg, Big Bethel AME Church
Atlanta, Georgia Image:Chappelle Administration Building, Allen University (Columbia).jpg,

Chappelle Administration Building The Chappelle Administration Building, on the campus of Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina, was designed by John Anderson Lankford, known as the "dean of black architects." The building name has been spelled Chapelle Administration Buil ...

Image:True Reformer Hall.jpg, True Reformer Hall,
Washington, D.C.

References

External links

John A. Lankford Residence and Office
Cultural Tourism DC

''Biz Journals - Washington'', 11 May 1998
John Anderson Lankford
at Findagrave {{DEFAULTSORT:Lankford, John Anderson 20th-century American architects African-American architects Lincoln University (Missouri) alumni Shaw University alumni Wilberforce University alumni Morris Brown College alumni Tuskegee University alumni Methodists from Missouri 1874 births 1946 deaths Architects from Missouri People from Potosi, Missouri Architects from Washington, D.C. Methodists from Georgia (U.S. state) Methodists from Virginia

Life

Buildings

See also

References

External links