Edwards, Gaston Alonzo
1875-1943 · Contribution: early 1900s
Architect & Educator
First Black licensed architect in North Carolina
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Born
- 1875
- Active since
- early 1900s
- Category
- Architecture & Design
- Best known for
- First Black licensed architect in North CarolinaShaw University buildingsPresident of Kittrell College
Impact on the world
Edwards broke the color line of licensed architecture in North Carolina while training students in the building trades, uniting professional practice with Black higher education.
Sources
- North Carolina Architects & Builders (NC State University Libraries)
1 more sources and references are available to members.
Related visionaries
Bates, Robert Charles
1869-1950
First African American author of an architecture textbook; first Black architecture teacher at an HBCU
Moses, William Henry Jr.
1901-1991
Founded the architecture program at Hampton Institute (now Hampton University)
Mackey, Howard Hamilton
1901-1987
Worked in Howard University's architecture department for 50 years as architect, educator, and administrator
Foster, George Washington
1866-1923
Among the first African American architects licensed by the states of New Jersey and New York