VIRTUAL New Schools of Thought

Abstract

Representation of work by licensed Black architects in the United States is limited due to very low numbers of Black licensed architects. The National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) estimates that only 2% of licensed architects identify as Black males, and just .5% identify as Black female. As educators, we want our students to feel that their chosen field will be inclusive to them to thrive in. This project titled “Documenting the Work of Kansas Architect Charles McAfee” was a two-year, grant-funded (KU Racial Equity Grant), and interdisciplinary project. The project team included the professor, architecture students, and a photography student. Over the course of two summers, the team traveled to Wichita, Kansas and documented buildings designed by Charles McAfee, one of the first licensed Black architects in the state of Kansas. McAfee was an award-winning architect beginning his firm in 1963, his daughters joined the firm beginning in 1980. The first summer, we identified buildings in Wichita designed by McAfee during the timeframe of 1960-1980. The professor taught the students how to upload the documentation to the Kansas Historic Resources Inventory (KHRI) database making these the first entries in Kansas representing the work of a licensed Black architect. This was the first step in disseminating information about McAfee’s work. The next summer, the team was taught how to prepare documentation of one structure, to be given as a donation to the Historic American Building Survey (HABS). This documentation will be the first of a licensed Black architect in Kansas.