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

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

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 and the county seat of Washington County, Missouri, United States. Potosi is southwest of St. Louis. The population was 2,538 as of the 2020 census. Located in the Lead Belt, the city was founded in 1763 by French colonists as ...

, 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 university, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. It was f ...

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 serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...

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

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

from

Shaw University Shaw University is a private historically black university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded on December 1, 1865, Shaw University is the oldest HBCU to begin offering courses in the Southern United States. The school had its origin in the fo ...

in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1898. He earned

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

degrees from

Morris Brown College Morris Brown College (MBC) is a Private university, private African Methodist Episcopal Church, Methodist Historically black colleges and universities, historically black Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Atlan ...

and

Wilberforce University Wilberforce University (WU) is a private university in Wilberforce, Ohio. It is one of three historically black universities established before the American Civil War. Founded in 1856 by the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC), it is named after ...

. 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 Methodist denomination based in the United States. It adheres to Wesleyan–Arminian theology and has a connexional polity. It cooperates with other Methodist ...

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

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, to finish the design of the

True Reformer Building The True Reformer Building is an historic building constructed for the Grand United Order of True Reformers, an African American organization founded by William Washington Browne. The building is at 1200 U Street (Washington, D.C.), U Street, Nor ...

. 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 w ...

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

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

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." Architect Francis Eugene Griffin worked under Lankford in his early career. 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 a suburb of Washington, D.C., approximately one mile (1.6 km) southeast of Washington, D.C. Suitland is a census designated place (CDP), as of the 2020 census, its population was 25,839. Prior to 2010, it was part of the Suitland ...

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 (1922) at

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

, which is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

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

(1903), Washington, D.C. *Historic Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, 226 East Howry Avenue, DeLand, Florida * W. L. Taylor mansion in Richmond, Virginia (1907) 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 Bui ...

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