Kenneth Roderick O'Neal

Kenneth Roderick O'Neal (1908–1989), was an American architect, engineer, and painter.[1][2][3] He founded the first Black-owned and led architecture firm in downtown Chicago.[4] O'Neal had studied under Ludwig Mies van der Rohe,[2] and served as a mentor for early career architects including Beverly Lorraine Greene,[4] John Moutoussamy,[5] and Georgia Louise Harris Brown.[6]

Kenneth Roderick O'Neal
BornJuly 30, 1908
Union, Missouri, U.S.
DiedMarch 17, 1989
Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, U.S.
Other namesK. Roderick O'Neal,
Kenneth R. O'Neal
Alma materUniversity of Iowa,
Armour Institute
Occupation(s)Architect, engineer, painter

Biography

Kenneth Roderick O'Neal was born on July 30, 1908, in Union, Franklin County, Missouri.[1][7] He attended Sumner High School in St. Louis.[2]

O'Neal graduated with a B.A. degree (1931) in graphic design, and a B.S. degree (1935) in structural engineering from University of Iowa.[2] After graduation, he moved to Chicago to attend classes at Armour Institute (now Illinois Institute of Technology), studying under Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.[2]

In his early career, O'Neal worked under Walter T. Bailey.[5] He opened the first Black-led architecture firm in downtown Chicago,[4] and by 1940, he was a licensed architect in the state of Illinois. In 1937, Beverly Lorraine Greene had briefly worked for O'Neal's architecture firm, and he had served as one of her mentors.[4][8] Georgia Louise Harris Brown, the second African American woman to become a licensed architect in the United States, had also worked at the firm of O'Neal from 1945 to 1949.[1][9][6] Architect John Moutoussamy had also been mentored by O'Neal and worked at the firm.[5] O'Neal published two design books: "A Portfolio of Modern Homes" (1949),[10] and "A Volume of Contemporary Homes" (1980).

He retired in 1983.[2] O'Neal had married three times.[1] After retirement, he moved to Tucson, Arizona, followed by a move to Honolulu, Hawaii. He died at age 80 on March 17, 1989, in Honolulu.[11]

Work
  • Lawrence E. Smith residence (1964), 8348 South Calumet, Chicago, Illinois[5]

Publications
  • O'Neal, K. Roderick (1949). A Portfolio of Modern Homes. Architectural Drafting Bureau.
  • O'Neal, Kenneth R. (1980). A Volume of Contemporary Homes. Ork Enterprises.

See also

References
  1. Wilson, Dreck Spurlock (2004-03-01). African American Architects: A Biographical Dictionary, 1865-1945. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-95628-8.
  2. "Kenneth Roderick O'Neal". Missouri Remembers. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  3. Negro Artists: An Illustrated Review of Their Achievements. Harmon Foundation. Harmon Foundation incorporated. 1935. p. 53.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. Washington, Roberta (2013). "Greene, Beverly Lorraine". Oxford African American Studies Center. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780195301731.013.38493. ISBN 978-0-19-530173-1. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  5. "At Home in Chatham: A Bounty of Mid-Century Modern on the South Side, Where the African-American Elite Once "Strutted Their Stuff"". Newcity Design. 2015-11-19. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  6. "Engineer Archives". Landmarks Illinois. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  7. Burkett, Randall K.; Burkett, Nancy Hall; Gates Jr., Henry Louis (1991). Black Biography, 1790-1950: K-Z. Chadwyck-Healey. p. 219. ISBN 978-0-89887-085-5.
  8. Bolden, Tonya (2020-03-03). Changing the Equation: 50+ US Black Women in STEM. Abrams. pp. 69–71. ISBN 978-1-68335-629-5.
  9. "Georgia Louise Harris Brown". Docomomo-us.org. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  10. Books and Pamphlets, Including Serials and Contributions to Periodicals. Library of Congress Copyright Office. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1949. pp. 23, 230.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  11. "Obituary for Kenneth Roderick O'Neal". The Honolulu Advertiser. 1989-03-20. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
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