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American architect (1874–1941)
Wallace Augustus Rayfield
Born May 10, 1874Bibb County, Georgia, U.S.
Died February 28, 1941U.S.
Other names Wallace A. Rayfield Education
Pratt Institute Alma mater
Howard University
Columbia University Occupation(s) Architect, educator Known for Second formally educated practicing African American architect in the U.S.
Wallace Augustus Rayfield (1874–1941), was an American architect and educator.
[1] He was the second formally educated practicing
African American architect in the
United States .
[2]
[3]
Biography
Wallace Augustus Rayfield was born around May 10, 1874 in
Bibb County near
Macon, Georgia .
[4] Rayfield attended schools in
Macon, Georgia before moving to Washington, D.C. to live with his aunt after the death of his mother.
[4]
He was an apprentice at an architectural firm A. B. Mullett and Co. while attending
Howard University .
[4] Rayfield received a B.S. degree in 1896 in
Classics from Howard University.
[4] He then completed a graduate certificate in 1898 from
Pratt Institute , before earning his
bachelor of architecture (B. Arch) in architecture from
Columbia University in 1899.
[5]
Upon graduation, he was recruited by
Booker T. Washington to the role Directorship of the Architectural and Mechanical Drawing Department at
Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in Tuskegee, Alabama. His students included
William Sidney Pittman , and
Vertner Woodson Tandy .
[6]
[7]
In 1907, Rayfield opened a professional office in Tuskegee, Alabama from which he sold mail-order plans nationwide. He also advertised "branch offices" in
Birmingham ,
Montgomery ,
Mobile and
Talladega, Alabama and
Atlanta ,
Savannah , Macon and
Augusta, Georgia . He left Tuskegee Institute and moved to Birmingham, Alabama in 1908 to focus on his young practice. He was elected as Superintending Architect for the
Freedman's Aid Society , and Connectional Architect of the
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church .
He died on February 28, 1941.
Notable work
Birmingham Art Club (1908),
Birmingham, Alabama
[4]
Dr. Arthur M. Brown Residence (1908), 319-4th Terrace, Birmingham, Alabama; demolished
[4]
Sixth Avenue Baptist Church (1909), 1531-6th Avenue, Birmingham, Alabama
[4]
16th Street Baptist Church (1911),
Birmingham, Alabama
[4]
People's A.M.E. Zion Church (1911),
Syracuse, New York
T.C. Windham Construction Company Office Building (1912), Birmingham, Alabama
Alabama Penny Savings Bank /Knights of Pythian Temple Building (1913), Birmingham, Alabama
[4]
R. A. Blount Residence (1914), 322-6th Avenue North, Birmingham, Alabama
[4]
32nd Street Baptist Church (1924), Birmingham, Alabama
[8]
Antioch Baptist Church (1926), 956 W. 9th Street, Cincinnati, Ohio
[4]
Trinity Baptist Church, Birmingham, Alabama
Harmony Street Baptist Church, Birmingham, Alabama
Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church, Birmingham, Alabama
Ebenezer Baptist Church ,
Chicago, Illinois
[4]
St Paul's Episcopal Church,
Batesville, Arkansas
Trinity Building, South Africa
Mt. Zion Baptist Church,
Pensacola, Florida
Morning Star Baptist Church,
Demopolis, Alabama
Marlinton Methodist Church,
Marlinton, West Virginia
Marlinton Presbyterian Church,
Marlinton, West Virginia
Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church,
Milton, Florida
Madame Clisby Residence, Birmingham, Alabama
Rocky Springs Presbyterian Church, Laurens, South Carolina
First Missionary Baptist Church, Decatur, Alabama
Pythian Temple Building, Cotton Avenue, Macon, Georgia
St. Luke African Methodist Episcopal Church , Birmingham, Alabama
First Congregational Church (now part of
Talladega College ), Talladega, Alabama
[4]
Dorms at
Haven Institute and Conservatory of Music , Meridian, Mississippi
[4]
See also
References
^ Dozier, Richard K. (2006).
"African-Americans in Architecture" . African American Registry (AAREG) . Archived from
the original on 2009-02-08.
^ Ward, Logan (January 2011).
"Rediscovering Mr. Rayfield: The legacy of a pioneering African American architect is being restored by an indefatigable Southern Baptist preacher" .
Preservation . Archived from
the original on 2012-08-26.
^ Craven, Jackie (November 10, 2019).
"Black Architects After the Civil War" . ThoughtCo . Retrieved 2023-02-12 .
^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n Wilson, Dreck Spurlock (March 2004).
African American Architects: A Biographical Dictionary, 1865-1945 . Routledge. pp. 50, 474–477.
ISBN
978-1-135-95629-5 .
^
"Wallace Rayfield - Alabama African American History" . 23 December 2014.
^
"W. Sidney and Portia Washington Pittman House, Prince George's County, Historic Site Summary Sheet: Section 8: Significance.
^ Weiss, Ellen (2012-01-01).
Robert R. Taylor and Tuskegee: An African American Architect Designs for Booker T. Washington . NewSouth Books.
ISBN
9781588382481 .
^ Historic American Buildings Survey.
"Thirty-Second Street Baptist Church, 518 Thirty-second Street, South, Birmingham, Jefferson County, AL" . Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA . Retrieved 2022-07-10 .
Hamilton, G. P. (1911) "W. A. Rayfield, B. S., Birmingham, Ala." in
Beacon Lights of the Race . Memphis, E. H. Clarke & Brother, pp. 451–7
Brown, Charles A. (1972) W. A. Rayfield: Pioneer Black Architect of Birmingham, Ala. Birmingham: Gray Printing Company
McKenzie, Vinson. (Fall 1993) "
A Pioneering African-American Architect in Alabama: Wallace A. Rayfield, 1874–1941 ." Journal of the Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art & Architecture. Vol. 13
Durough, Allan R. (2010) The Architectural Legacy of Wallace A. Rayfield: Pioneer Black Architect of Birmingham, Alabama. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press
ISBN
978-0-8173-1683-9
External links
International National Other