L. Quincy Jackson was the first African American architect to open an office in the state of Oklahoma. Born in Wewoka, Oklahoma in 1926, Jackson would earn his Bachelors of Architecture from the University of Kansas. He then opened an architecture office in Oklahoma in 1950. In 1952, he enrolled in the University of Oklahoma where he studied Urban Planning under Bruce Goff in order to earn his Master’s Degree in Planning in 1954.
After graduating from the University of Oklahoma, Jackson moved to Nashville to become a professor of engineering at Tennessee State University, a Historically Black University, where he established their architectural engineering program. Throughout his architecture career, he designed a variety of structures in Oklahoma and Tennessee including private homes, churches, educational facilities, and more.
A small selection of L. Quincy Jackson’s projects.
Despite being able to enroll in higher education and practice architecture, L. Quincy Jackson faced many obstacles throughout his life due to racism. When he attempted to take the Oklahoma state licensing examinations, state officials refused at first because of racist policies. It took intervention from the Oklahoma governor at the time to allow Jackson to take the exam. Even then, Jackson had to enter the testing site through a rear entrance and take the test in a room by himself.
Many of L. Quincy Jackson’s projects still stand today throughout Oklahoma and Tennessee. One local site you can visit is the St. John Baptist W.K. Jackson Education Center in Oklahoma City.
Information in this article comes from Docomomo US.
Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to recognize Petya Stefanoff, who is pursuing her doctorate in the Planning, Design & Construction (PDC) program, has been appointed the new role of Director of Community Development for the City of Shawnee, Oklahoma. She joined the city in 2024.
Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., associate professor in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Design and director of the Institute for Quality Communities, has received national recognition for her book Model Schools in the Model City. The book has been named a finalist for the 2026 the PROSE Awards.
Gibbs College of Architecture Regional + City Planning Professor of Practice Vanessa Morrison and Associate Professor of Architecture Deborah Richards’ Open Design Collective received top honors at the inaugural BlackSpace Urbanist Collective Studio KIN Pitch Night Competition, held last month in Brooklyn, New York City.
