Charles F. McAfee

Charles Francis McAfee
Born (1932-12-25) December 25, 1932 (age 91)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other namesCharles McAfee
Alma materUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln
Occupation(s)Architect, building material manufacturer, activist
SpouseGloria Myrth Winston[1]
Children3, including Cheryl L. McAfee[1]
AwardsWhitney Young Award (1999)

Charles Francis McAfee, FAIA, NOMA (born December 25, 1932),[1] is an American architect, building material manufacturer, and housing activist. He was the founding president of Charles F. McAfee Architects, Engineers, and Planners firm (now McAfee3) which was headquartered in Wichita, Kansas.[2] McAfee has had a distinguished career, and has been considered one of the most important African-American architect in the United States for his social activism in designing affordable housing.[3][4] He was a mentor to many of Black architects, including two of his own daughters.[5]

Biography

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Charles Francis McAfee was born on December 25, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, to parents Willie Anna (née Brown) and Arthur James McAfee.[1][3] He served with United States Army from 1953 to 1955, during the end of the Korean War and was sent to Germany.[5] McAfee graduated with a B.Arch in 1958 from University of Nebraska–Lincoln.[1] In 1955, he married childhood friend and singer, Gloria Myrth Winston.[5]

In 1963, McAfee began his own firm in Wichita, named Charles F. McAfee Architects, Engineers and Planners; the firm grew and opened satellite offices in Dallas and Atlanta.[6] McAfee was known for his modernist designs.[7] He tackled social inequalities with a focus on designing affordable housing and utilized a modular approach.[8] In order to build the modular building components, Mc Afee opened a manufacturing plant in 1994 that hired and trained people from the community.[8][9] In 1999, the manufacturing plant was shut down after facing debt.[10]

In 1976, he served as president of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). In 1981, McAfee was elected to the Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA).[11] His awards include the Whitney M. Young Jr. Award (1999) by the American Institute of Architects at the AIA National Convention and Expo in Dallas, Texas.[8][12] His archived papers are at the University of Kansas.[6]

In 2006, the architecture firm transitioned ownership to his daughters. His daughters Cheryl Lynn McAfee Mitchell, and Charyl Frena McAfee-Duncan are also notable architects and serve in leadership positions at McAfee3 Architects in Atlanta.[13][14][5][15][16] In 2020, the Wichita McAdams Park Pool was renamed the McAfee Pool in his honor.[17]

Works

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Who's Who Among African Americans. Gale Group, Cengage Learning. May 2003. p. 858. ISBN 978-0-7876-5915-8.
  2. ^ "Black Architect Selected To Plan Redevelopment". Jet. 46 (2). Johnson Publishing Company: 30. 1974-04-04.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Charles McAfee's Biography". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  4. ^ a b c White III, Frank (July 1983). "Black Architects: Shapers of Urban America". Ebony. 38 (9). Johnson Publishing Company: 62–64.
  5. ^ a b c d Russell, Dick (2009-02-02). Black Genius: Inspirational Portraits of African-American Leaders. Skyhorse Publishing Inc. pp. 356–359, 788. ISBN 978-1-62636-646-6.
  6. ^ a b "Collection: Charles F. McAfee papers". Kenneth Spencer Research Library Archival Collections, University of Kansas. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  7. ^ Kahn, Eve M. (1992-04-09). "Renewed Hope For Black Architects". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  8. ^ a b c "1999 McAfee". AIA & Whitney Young. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  9. ^ "Why stay in Wichita?". The Wichita Eagle. 2004-02-01. p. 11. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  10. ^ a b "Factory owner breaks silence on shutdown". The Wichita Eagle. 1999-03-07. pp. 1A, 10A. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  11. ^ "Cheryl Lynn McAfee, FAIA, NOMA, LEED AP, BD+C". The AIA College of Fellows Quarterly. AIA College of Fellows. 2022. pp. 36–37. Retrieved 2023-02-16 – via Issuu.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  12. ^ "Achievers: Architecture". The Wichita Eagle. 1999-05-30. p. 26. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  13. ^ Davis, Kimberly (October 2005). "Black Architects: Embracing and Defining". Ebony. 60 (12). Johnson Publishing Company: 108–114.
  14. ^ Sturdivant Sani, Christina (September 9, 2020). "McAfees exemplify two generations of architectural excellence". AIA. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  15. ^ "Top Women Architects". Ebony. Vol. 50, no. 10. August 1995. pp. 54–58. ISSN 0012-9011.
  16. ^ African Americans of Wichita. The Kansas African American Museum. Arcadia Publishing Library Editions. 2015-10-12. ISBN 978-1-5316-7178-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  17. ^ a b "McAdams Pool to be renamed after architect, civil rights leader". KWCH. July 8, 2020. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  18. ^ "Recognition of Architects Reflected in Their Work". The Wichita Eagle. 1964-09-20. pp. 1C, 4C. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  19. ^ "New Facilities Under Way for Jackson Mortuary". The Wichita Eagle. 1965-04-04. p. 24. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  20. ^ Sachs, David (2018-07-17). "McKnight Art Center". SAH ARCHIPEDIA. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  21. ^ "Wichita native achieves her own Olympic glory". The Wichita Eagle. 1996-07-14. pp. 1A, 10A. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
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