Bio:

John A. Welch attended Tuskegee Institute from 1920 to 1923 and received a certificate in plumbing. He went to study architecture at Howard University where he obtained his degree in 1930. He also began his architecture career at Howard University under the direction of Albert Cassell. After five years at Howard he joined the office of architects Hilyard Robinson, Ervin Porter, and Paul Revere Williams as a draftsman. He returned to Tuskegee in 1940 as director of the Department of Architecture and Mechanical Drawing. After serving in the U.S. Army he returned to Washington D.C. where he joined the firm of Louis E. Fry Sr.

 

Year of Elevation: 

1987

 

Featured Project Name: 

University Chapel

 

Featured Project Location: 

Tuskegee, AL

 

Featured Project Completion Date: 

1969

 

Role in Featured Project: 

Fry and Welch, Architects of Record with Paul Rudolph

 

Featured Project Description:

The multilevel chapel was completed in 1969 under president Luther Foster, Jr. The chapel is a concrete and brick structure has five floors and contains 40,000 square feet of space. The many angles and projections give the edifice an intensely structural character so there is no clearly defined front or back to the structure.

 

Photography Credit:

Dr. Kwesi Daniels - Tuskegee University, SAH-Archipedia