Overview

Since 1865 African-American architects have been designing and building houses and public buildings, such as schools and research institutes. Many of these buildings have survived to the twenty-first century, but the architects are virtually unknown. African-American Architects: A Biographical Dictionary brings their lives and work to light for the first time. The number of architects and the scope of their accomplishments will surprise and fascinate scholars and students of Africa-American history, architectural history, and American history in general. Written by 100 field experts ranging from architectural historians to archivists, this unique reference contains 250 biographical, A-Z entries on African-American architects from the era of Emancipation to the end of World War II. The entries provides biographical facts about each architect and assess his or her work. Over 250 photos, illustrating architects and their buildings, are included. Practical and accessible, this reference includes an extensive index that lists architects by birthplace and location of major work. Key Features: Contains approximately 160 informative biographical entries on African-American architects practicing throughout the United States from the Civil War through World War II Written by a team of over 100 experts in fields ranging from architecture to African-American history Includes more than 200 photographs and illustrations of the architects and their works An appendix lists buildings by geographic region

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9780415929592

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Reviews

A gold mine for anyone interested in architecture or African American architects... Easy to use and containing scholarly information, this work will benefit general readers through architectural historians. Highly recommended. All libraries. -- Choice There is nothing else comparable on the market... A sound purchase, especially for college and university libraries with architectural programs, though it's also intended for preservationists, architects, and historians. -- Booklist/RBB an essential reference... The introduction offers a useful historical context for the contributions of African Americans to the built environment of the United States. -- College & Research Libraries Recent scholarly concerns about the gaps and limitations of such a narrative have literally reshaped the study of architectural history. African American Architects: A Biographical Dictionary, 1865-1945 is a major force to continue that reshaping, giving much needed presence to a large but essentially invisible group of designers, to innumerable but largely unknown buildings across the land, and to an awesome force of educational initiative, community spirit, and pride... the most comprehensive dictionary of these architects to date... the stories in the dictionary are captivating. -- CRM: The Journal of Heritage Stewardship The dictionary makes a significant contribution to the increasing scholarship on African American architects. A must have for aspiring and practicing architects, the book will be useful to anyone desiring to research their community's Black architects, buildings, and history in general. It is a useful reference for every church office/library and an indispensible aid of anyone seeking to nominate a historic building to the National Register of Historic Places. -- The AME Church Review

A gold mine for anyone interested in architecture or African American architects.... Easy to use and containing scholarly information, this work will benefit general readers through architectural historians. Highly recommended. All libraries. - Choice, June 2004 There is nothing else comparable on the market.... A sound purchase, especially for college and university libraries with architectural programs, though it's also intended for preservationists, architects, and historians. - Booklist/RBB, June 1 & 15, 2004 an essential reference.... The introduction offers a useful historical context for the contributions of African Americans to the built environment of the United States. - College & Research Libraries, September 2004 Recent scholarly concerns about the gaps and limitations of such a narrative have literally reshaped the study of architectural history. African AmericanArchitects: A Biographical Dictionary, 1865-1945 is a major force to continue that reshaping, giving much needed presence to a large but essentially invisible group of designers, to innumerable but largely unknown buildings across the land, and to an awesome force of educational initiative, community spirit, and pride... the most comprehensive dictionary of these architects to date... the stories in the dictionary are captivating. - CRM: The Journal of Heritage Stewardship, Winter, 2005 The dictionary makes a significant contribution to the increasing scholarship on African American architects. A must have for aspiring and practicing architects, the book will be useful to anyone desiring to research their community's Black architects, buildings, and history in general. It is auseful reference for every church office/library and an indispensible aid of anyone seeking to nominate a historic building to the National Register of Historic Places. - The AME Church Review, January-March, 2005

A gold mine for anyone interested in architecture or African American architects.... Easy to use and containing scholarly information, this work will benefit general readers through architectural historians. Highly recommended. All libraries. <br>- Choice, June 2004 <br> There is nothing else comparable on the market.... A sound purchase, especially for college and university libraries with architectural programs, though it's also intended for preservationists, architects, and historians. <br>- Booklist/RBB, June 1 & 15, 2004 <br> an essential reference.... The introduction offers a useful historical context for the contributions of African Americans to the built environment of the United States. <br>- College & Research Libraries, September 2004 <br> Recent scholarly concerns about the gaps and limitations of such a narrative have literally reshaped the study of architectural history. African AmericanArchitects: A Biographical Dictionary, 1865-1945 is a major force to continue that reshaping, giving much needed presence to a large but essentially invisible group of designers, to innumerable but largely unknown buildings across the land, and to an awesome force of educational initiative, community spirit, and pride... the most comprehensive dictionary of these architects to date... the stories in the dictionary are captivating. <br>- CRM: The Journal of Heritage Stewardship, Winter, 2005 <br> The dictionary makes a significant contribution to the increasing scholarship on African American architects. A must have for aspiring and practicing architects, the book will be useful to anyone desiring to research their community's Black architects, buildings, and history in general. It is auseful reference for every church office/library and an indispensible aid of anyone seeking to nominate a historic building to the National Register of Historic Places. <br>- The AME Church Review, January-March, 2005 <br>

Author Information

Dreck Spurlock Wilson is an African-American architect and holds an M.A. in Urban Studies from the University of Chicago. Wilson has contributed to historical journals and books on African-American history, art, and architecture.

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