The Story of Horace King, Slave-Turned-Architect

2019-06-20T12:20:00-04:00

For over 250 years, African Americans in the United States endured the bondage of slavery, a cultural, political, and economic regime that exploited their forced labor in order to clear land, harvest crops, and build America’s cities and towns. Under these conditions, human beings were viewed as a form of property and as a source of free labor. Individuals and families were bought, sold, torn apart from loved ones, and subjected to untold violence and exploitation, an existential debt that has yet to be properly or meaningfully reconciled.

Amid this historical context, Horace King, a man born into slavery on a South Carolina plantation, rose to become a prolific architect, real estate developer, and Alabama state legislator. Educated and trained on the jobsite as an engineer and contractor, King built bridges, courthouses, and industrial facilities across the southern United States.

This is his story.

Deans List: Kate Schwennsen's balancing act at Clemson University

2016-12-27T10:02:00-05:00

Kate Schwennsen, Dean of Clemson University's School of Architecture, is hoping to strike that ideal balance between theory and practice that will prepare students to not only tackle the day-to-day challenges of working in architecture, but give them the inspiration to explore new conceptual territory.

Archinect - Features

The Story of Horace King, Slave-Turned-Architect

Deans List: Kate Schwennsen's balancing act at Clemson University