Draft:Percy C. Ifill
Percy Costa Ifill | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 16, 1913 Harlem, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | May 18, 1973 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Education | Cornell University, New York University (BS) |
| Occupation(s) | Architect, architectural engineer, teacher |
| Spouse | Natsu Ikeda (m. –1973; his death) |
Percy Costa Ifill (1913 – 1973) was an American architect.[1][2][3] He was a co-founder of a leading Black architectural firm in New York City, Ifill, Johnson Architects (1962 to 1967), later known as of Ifill, Johnson, Hanchard Architects (1967 to c.1973).[4]
Early life and education
[edit]Percy Costa Ifill was born on June 16, 1913, in Harlem, New York City. His mother was Louise Costa, from Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; and his father was James Percy Ifill, a lawyer from Barbados, British West Indies.[4] He graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School, where he discovered a love of art.[4]
Ifill attended Cornell University for a year in 1934, before transferring to New York University (NYU) to take night classes while he worked as a draftsman at various architecture firms in the daytime.[4] He graduated with a B.S. degree in architecture in 1939 from NYU.[4][5] While in school in 1939, Ifill won the third place in the General Electric National Competition.[1]
Career
[edit]From 1935 to 1940 while attending NYU, Ifill worked as a draftsmen for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) for a project with the United States Army Corps of Engineers for the Department of Hospitals.[4] In 1941, he worked under architect Hilyard Robert Robinson in Washington, D.C., as an architectural engineer for the 99th Pursuit Squadron Airfield and Training Base at Cheaha, Alabama.[4] In 1945, Ifill won third prize in the General Motors National Dealer Establishment Competition.[4]
In 1962, Ifill partnered with Conrad Adolphus Johnson Jr. (1919–1991) to establish in Midtown Manhattan,[6] Ifill Johnson Architects. In 1967, George Hanchard joined the firm, the name was changed to Ifill, Johnson, Hanchard Architects.
List of notable buildings
[edit]Ifill Johnson Architects
[edit]- Ojike Memorial Medical Center (1962), Lagos, Nigeria
- Village East Towers (1964), 170 Avenue A and 411 East 10th Street, New York City[1]
- Mount Morris Park Swimming Pool and Bath House (1966), 124th Street at Fifth Street, New York City[1]
- St. Martin's Tower (1966), 65 West 90th Street, New York City[1]
- Phipps Center Police Athletic League (1967), 225 West 123rd Street, New York City[4]
Ifill Johnson Hanchard Architects
[edit]- Varick Community Center (1970), 151 West 136 Street, New York City (closed)
- Western Union Message Center (1973), 1290 Powell Jr. Drive, New York City
- United Moravian Church (1973), 200 East 127th Street, New York City[4]
- United States Port Office (1974), 434 East 14th Street, New York City[4]
- Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building (1974), 163 West 125th Street, New York City[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f "Percy C. Ifill, 59, Architect". The New York Times. May 20, 1973. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
- ^ "Design For Ideal Radio Station Wins Two Prizes". The Phoenix Index. July 6, 1940. p. 4. Retrieved April 20, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Harlem Prep Taps Mangum". Daily News. November 8, 1970. p. 179. Retrieved April 20, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wilson, Dreck Spurlock (March 1, 2004). "Percy Costa Ifill (1913–1973)". African American Architects: A Biographical Dictionary, 1865-1945. Routledge. pp. 434–440. ISBN 978-1-135-95628-8.
- ^ Shields, R.T.; Tatman, Sandra L. "Ifill, Percy Costa (1913 – 1973)". Philadelphia Architects and Buildings. Retrieved April 20, 2025.
- ^ Mathieu, Richard (October 14, 1966). "Crowd Witnesses Rocky–Sutton Row". Daily News. p. 289. Retrieved April 20, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.