Many may be unfamiliar with the name Gaston Alonzo Edwards but have likely seen his impact on the City of Raleigh based on his gift for designing buildings that have lasted decades. A graduate of the Agricultural and Mechanical College for the Colored Race (now North Carolina A&T University) in Greensboro, he was the first African American architect registered and licensed in the state.
Much of design work focused on educational institutions and churches. His work includes Shaw University's Tyler Hall and the Masonic Building on South Blount Street. Edwards was also the architect for the rebuilding of St. Paul’s A. M. E. Church.
As the city welcomes new design and construction, the work of Edwards continues to provide spaces for citizens to learn, worship, and gather. The Raleigh Housing & Neighborhoods Department celebrates the work of Edwards as a visionary that has provided beauty and character to our community that has stood the test of time.
Sources:
Edwards, Gaston Alonzo (1875-1943) (ncsu.edu)
Gaston Alonzo Edwards (1875-1943) – Wake County NCGenWeb
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