Robert Charles Bates (c. 1872–unknown, after 1940),[1] was an American architect, educator, and textbook author.[2][3] He was an African American architect and helped design and build many of the Claflin University campus buildings, a historically black university (HBU) in South Carolina.[2][4][5] He is thought to the first Black teacher of architecture at a HBU; and the first African American author of an architecture textbook.[6][7]
Biography
Robert Charles Bates was born c. 1872 in Columbia, South Carolina, where his father was a farmer.[1] It is thought that he took a correspondence course in mechanical drawing (possibly from Scranton Correspondence School in Scranton, Pennsylvania).[1] He attended Clafin University's Normal School to become a teacher, but he was short two years from graduation.[when?][1]
In a turn of events and despite not graduating, he was appointed as the superintendent of manual training at Claflin University, determined by the Freedmen's Aid Society and the Southern Education Society.[when?][1] By fall of 1890, Bates was teaching architectural drawing at Claflin, and is believed to be the first Black teacher of architecture at a HBU.[1][8][7] Two years later he published a textbook based on his class lectures, and despite being poorly written, it may be the first architecture book authored by an African American.[1][6]
From 1897 until 1900, Bates moved to Upstate New York in order to teach mechanical drawing at Elmira Reformatory.[1] Followed by teaching vocational trade at the Jacob Tome Institution for Black juvenile delinquents and orphans in Port Deposit, Cecil County, Maryland.[1][9]
Many of the biographical details of Bate's life are unknown, including his circumstances in death.[1] Bates' profile was included in the biographical dictionary African American Architects: A Biographical Dictionary, 1865–1945 (2004).
Publications
- Bates, R. Charles (1892). The Elementary Principles of Architecture and Building. Boston, Massachusetts: Press of Geo. H. Ellis.
Works
- T. Willard Lewis Chapel (1890) at Claflin University, Orangeburg, South Carolina[1]
- Fisk Building (main building, 1899) the north and south towers at Claflin University, Orangeburg, South Carolina (destroyed by a fire in 1913)[1][2][10][11]
- Fisk Building (main building, 1900) classroom annex at Claflin University, Orangeburg, South Carolina (destroyed by a fire in 1913)[1]
- John F. Slater Manual training building at Claflin University, Orangeburg, South Carolina[1]
See also
- African-American architects
- Robert Robinson Taylor, another early Black teacher of architecture at a HBU
- William Wilson Cooke, African-American architect also at Claflin
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Wilson, Dreck Spurlock (March 2004). "Robert Charles Bates". African American Architects: A Biographical Dictionary, 1865-1945. Routledge. pp. 38–40. ISBN 978-1-135-95629-5.
- ^ a b c "Vintage Orangeburg/Day 34: Claflin established by state charter to assist freed slaves". The Times and Democrat. December 10, 2014. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
- ^ Wilkins, Craig (2016-03-10). Diversity Among Architects: From Margin to Center. Routledge. p. 120. ISBN 978-1-317-47927-7.
- ^ "Claflin University (1869- )". BlackPast.org. 2010-07-06. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
- ^ "Exhibition celebrates Claflin's 125th anniversary". The Times and Democrat. 1994-09-16. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
- ^ a b Bell, Carla Jackson (2014-08-01). Space Unveiled: Invisible Cultures in the Design Studio. Routledge. p. 18. ISBN 978-1-317-65911-2.
- ^ a b Weiss, Ellen (2012-01-01). Robert R. Taylor and Tuskegee: An African American Architect Designs for Booker T. Washington. NewSouth Books. pp. 48–49. ISBN 978-1-58838-248-1.
- ^ Suggs, Ernie. "A dozen things you need to know about Claflin University". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
- ^ "Succeeds Dr. F. R. Lane". The Baltimore Sun. 1908-12-14. p. 10. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
- ^ Brooks, F. Erik; Starks, Glenn L. (2011-09-30). Historically Black Colleges and Universities: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-313-39415-7.
- ^ Hill, Lauritza Salley (2013). African Americans of Orangeburg County. Arcadia Publishing. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-7385-9880-2.