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Preserving the Legacy of America’s First Black Architect

HOK’s support of Tuskegee University students continues the practice of empowering aspiring Black architects that began in the late 1800s with Robert R. Taylor.

Few architecture programs have as powerful a story as Tuskegee University.

Robert R. Taylor, often cited as the first accredited Black architect in the U.S., designed much of the school’s eastern Alabama campus. Taylor also developed the school’s architecture program and recruited Tuskegee students to construct buildings. His students even made their own building materials—including bricks and windows—further highlighting the skill and resourcefulness of African Americans in the turn-of-the-century South.

Yet for all its proud history, Tuskegee’s architecture program is often overlooked today. The same might be said for the nation’s seven other historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) with NAAB-accredited architecture schools.Black Architect

“Many people don’t realize HBCUs have architecture programs,” said Amma Asamoah, an assistant professor of architecture at Tuskegee’s Robert R. Taylor School of Architecture and Construction Sciences. “To me that’s an issue. Our students offer perspectives that are missing in architecture. They come from communities that haven’t had a voice in the planning and design of the built environment.”

Trenton Scott, a fifth-year architecture major at Tuskegee, is such a student. Scott developed a passion for drawing as a child in nearby Birmingham. As a teen, he turned his attention to drawing buildings and imagining how derelict properties in his industrial hometown could be transformed for community use.

“Community engagement is a big reason I wanted to do architecture,” said Scott. “I see the potential for architecture to bring people together.”

hok st louis 2022 summer interns Preserving the Legacy of America’s First Black Architect

Investing in HBCU Design Students

Over the past eight months, Scott has had the opportunity to further his dream of becoming an architect as an HOK Diversity x Design Scholarship recipient. Awarded to nine BIPOC and minority design students, the scholarship includes a $10,000 stipend for school expenses and a paid internship with HOK.

As an intern with HOK’s St. Louis office, Scott has worked on a variety of project types, including developing a conceptual design for a proposed Afghan community center.

“I’ve gained so much from my HOK experience,” said Scott. “It has exposed me to things about design and technical architecture I haven’t experienced in school. I have a list of people at HOK whom I consider mentors.”

For Angelo Arzano, managing principal for HOK in St. Louis, Scott exemplifies the untapped talent that can be found at schools like Tuskegee.

“These are students who might go unnoticed because they’re not from bigger architecture programs,” said Arzano. “Yet in terms of skill and ambition, they’re just as promising.”

Since 2017, HOK’s St. Louis studio has hosted four Tuskegee interns. The studio also sends delegates to Tuskegee several times a year to lead portfolio reviews, do guest lectures and attend career fairs.

“We want to expand the pipeline of minority talent in architecture,” said Arzano. “It’s something we’re passionate about in St. Louis and across HOK.”

tuskegee design team noma 2022 Preserving the Legacy of America’s First Black Architect

Tuskegee Design Team Win

Last November, HOK’s St. Louis studio helped pay for Scott and several of his classmates to travel to Nashville to participate in the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) 2022 conference and design competition. The student portion of the competition challenged teams from 30 schools to envision a cultural center and landmark bridge for north Nashville, a historically Black section of town that has seen a surge of gentrification in the fast-growing city.

Tuskegee’s entry won first place. A team from Ivy League Cornell University placed second.

“That win proves the caliber of our students,” said Tuskegee’s Asamoah. “It shows their ability to understand historically marginalized communities and translate their empathy, awareness and experience into the built environment.”

Asamoah looks forward to Tuskegee students earning more wins in the coming years. She hopes, too, that more design firms will get involved in preserving Robert R. Taylor’s legacy by supporting Tuskegee and other HBCUs.

“HOK’s relationship has been very nourishing for our students and our department,” said Asamoah. “I invite other firms to also come down, visit the campus, learn about our rich history and take a hands-on approach to helping us grow that legacy.”

Who is a woman who’s made an impact on your career?

by Edward Mitchell Estes

For me, the answer is my mother, Emellen Mitchell Estes. Long before I was designing urban spaces or serving as Mayor, she was the one who gave me the “zoning permits” to build imaginary cities in our backyard in Atlanta.

An educator at heart, Emellen was a graduate of two iconic HBCUs—Morris Brown College and Atlanta University, now known as Clark-Atlanta University. She served as a teacher and Principal in the Atlanta Public Schools during the segregated 50s, 60s, and 70s. Despite the challenges of the era, she and my father fostered my passion for art, architecture, and the performing arts.

A tribute to Emellen Mitchell Estes, a dedicated educator and mother, whose influence shaped a legacy in architecture and education.

She didn’t just teach me how to build; she taught me who I was. She shared our rich ancestral history and kept me grounded in faith at the historic Big Bethel AME Church on Auburn Avenue.

I am the architectural designer, urban planner, and graphic & web designer I am today because she believed in the blueprints of my imagination.

Architecture no longer considered a “professional degree” in US

Tom Ravenscroft

Loans available to architecture students in the USA will be reduced under the terms of president Donald Trump‘s One Big Beautiful Bill, as architecture will not be considered a professional degree.

Under the terms of the One Big Beautiful Bill, the provision of student loans in the USA will be overhauled starting 1 July, 2026, with borrowing amounts set to be determined by whether a degree is considered professional or not.

Architecture not a “professional degree”

Architects, along with several careers including other nursing and accounting, will not be considered as “professional degrees”, a move that was criticised by the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

“The American Institute of Architects strongly opposes any proposal or policy that fails to recognize architects as professionals, particularly when designating which degrees qualify for student loan caps,” said the AIA in a statement.

“The title of ‘architect’ is earned through years of rigorous education, extensive professional examinations, and a demanding licensing process,” it continued.

“To classify otherwise dismisses the expertise, professional standards, and dedication that define the profession.”

Architecture student loans capped at $20,500

The Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP), which will replace all previous loan programs, will see borrowing capped at $20,500 for “graduate students” and $50,000 for “professional students”.

“Beginning on July 1, 2026, the maximum annual amount of Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford loans – a graduate student, who is not a professional student, may borrow in any academic year or its equivalent shall be $20,500; and a professional student may borrow in any academic year or its equivalent shall be $50,000,” states the bill.

The AIA believes that the changes to borrowing determined by the bill will reduce the number of people who can afford to study architecture.

Cap will reduce number that can study architecture

It stated that it will lobby to change the designation of architecture as a non-professional degree.

“Lowering the loan cap will reduce the number of architects who can afford to pursue this professional degree and harm American leadership in this field,” said the AIA.

“AIA will be actively engaged with policymakers to ensure that the essential role and professional standing of architects are properly recognized in federal policy. We remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting the integrity and value of the architectural profession.”

During his second term, Trump is taking an increased interest in architecture. On his first day in office, he signed an executive order to promote classical architecture.

He has recently demolished the East Wing of the White House as part of plans to build a ballroom at the presidential residence and has proposed that a classical-style triumphal arch be built in Washington DC as part of the celebrations to mark America’s 250th birthday in 2026.

Read more:

NOMA’s professional development program for architecture students at HBCUs is propelling the field forward

By Caitlin Dashiell of Architect’s Newspaper

Intentionality. Persistence. Commitment. These are key actions that come to mind if you ask how architects create institutional change and real diversity within their companies, according to Melvalean McLemore, Anzilla Gilmore, and Zhetique Gunn, the three co-founders of a new professional development program (PDP) for architecture students at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The trio are Texas architects and designers who recognized the need for equity in architecture through reframing how designers from HBCUs are viewed by the architecture profession. These women are currently building an accessible network supported by the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) to match AEC firms with diverse architecture students.