John A. Lankford

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John Anderson Lankford
Born	December 4, 1874 Potosi, Missouri
Died	July 2, 1946 Washington, D.C.
Burial place	Lincoln Memorial Cemetery, Suitland, Maryland
Residence	Washington, D.C.
Nationality	African American
Alma mater	Shaw University Morris Brown College Wilberforce University
Occupation	Architect

John A. Lankford (1874-1946) was an American architect. He was the first professionally licensed African-American architect in Virginia in 1922 and in the District of Columbia in 1924. He has been regarded as the "dean of black architecture".^[1]

John Landsford was born on a farm near Potosi, Missouri on December 4, 1874. He attended Lincoln Institute and Tuskegee Institute. He studied architectural and mechanical drawing from the International Correspondence School. He earned a bachelor of science from Shaw University in 1898. He earned master of science degrees from Morris Brown College and Wilberforce University.

He married Charlotte Josephine Upshaw in 1901. She was the granddaughter of Henry McNeal Turner, a bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal church.

In 1902, he moved to Washington, D.C. to finish the design of the True Reformer Building. He was appointed supervising architect for the African Methodist Episcopal denomination. He organized the National Negro Business League chapter in Washington, D.C. in 1905.

He lived and worked at 1448 Q Street, NW, in Washington.

He died on July 2, 1946 in Washington, D.C. and is buried at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Suitland, Maryland.^[2]

Buildings he designed include:

Arnett Hall, Wilberforce University
Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Atlanta, Georgia
Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Columbia, South Carolina
Chapelle Administration Building at Allen University, which is a National Historic Landmark
Haven African Methodist Episcopal Church, Washington, D.C.
St. John's African Methodist Episcopal Church, Norfolk, Virginia
True Reformer Hall in Washington, D.C.

[edit] References

^ Chapelle Administration Building, Richland County (Allen University, 1530 Harden St., Columbia). National Register Properties in South Carolina listing. South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
^ D. S. Wilson, African American Architects Biographical Dictionary: 1865 - 1945, Routledge, Taylor and Francis, New York, 2004, pp. 253-257, ISBN 0-415-92959-8.