Leon Quincy Jackson (January 9, 1926, or 1927–July 21, 1995), was an American architect and professor. He was known for his modernist building designs. He is thought to be the first black architect in Oklahoma, however he faced discrimination and was not able to take the state licensing exam. His architecture firm was named L. Quincy Jackson & Associates.

Early life and education

Leon Quincy Jackson was born on January 9 in either 1926 or 1927 in Wewoka,

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. He was raised by his mother Roxie Ann Jackson, a high school principal and his stepfather Lonnie Galimore, a pharmacist. His mother was one-half Seminole and owned a large farm with oil reserves and a handful of active oil derricks. He had studied at Wilberforce University and Iowa State University. Jackson received a B.A. degree in architecture (1950) from

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

; and received a M.S. degree (1954) in planning from the University of Oklahoma (OU). Jackson was a student of Bruce Goff. He was the third black student to receive a master's degree in planning from OU.

Career

In 1950, Jackson was the first African-American architect to open an office in the state of Oklahoma. He was hampered in taking his Oklahoma state licensing exam because of his race. Before receiving his master's degree, Jackson taught architectural engineering at

Prairie View A&M University Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU or PV) is a public historically black land-grant university in Prairie View, Texas. Founded in 1876, it is one of Texas's two land-grant universities and the second oldest public institution of higher learnin ...

. In 1954, Haile Selassie, the Emperor of Ethiopia, visited

Oklahoma State University–Stillwater Oklahoma State University–Stillwater (officially Oklahoma State University; informally Oklahoma State, OK State, OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma. OSU was founded in 1890 under the Morrill Act. Originall ...

in Stillwater, Oklahoma and Jackson attended the event. In 1954, Jackson moved to Nashville. He taught at Tennessee State University (TSU) from 1954 until ?. Jackson had established the architectural engineering program at TSU. He was an influence on many students, including architect Bob Wesley. From 1966 until 1975, Jackson was a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Death and legacy

Jackson died on July 21, 1995, and was buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in Nashville. Some of his buildings have been lost to fire or demolition but others remain standing. His son, Leon Jackson (1969–2016) also trained as an architect, and worked as a promoter of electronic music in Nashville, Tennessee.

List of buildings

* Jackson House, 2026 Northeast Grand Boulevard (), Edwards Heights Historic District, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; his former home With * Pagoda of Medicine (1963), former Riverside Adventist Hospital campus (now the Seventh-Day Adventist Church), 707 Youngs Lane,

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

, Tennessee; now demolished *

First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill The First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill is a Baptist church in Nashville, Tennessee. During the Civil Rights Era, many sit-in participants were trained in non-violent civil disobedience there. Formerly known as the First Colored Baptist Church. H ...

(1972 remodel), Nashville, Tennessee

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Leon Quincy 1926 births 1927 births 1995 deaths 20th-century African-American academics 20th-century American academics 20th-century American architects Academics from Oklahoma African-American architects Black Seminole people Kansas State University alumni Modernist architects from the United States Artists from Nashville, Tennessee People from Wewoka, Oklahoma Prairie View A&M University faculty Tennessee State University faculty University of Oklahoma alumni