Amaza Lee Meredith was an African American architect, educator and artist.
Background
Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia. Her father, Samuel Peter Meredith, was white, and was also a master stair builder. Her mother, Emma Kennedy was black, so her parents were prohibited by anti-miscegenation laws from marrying in Virginia.
Education
Meredith started teaching in a one-room schoolhouse in Indian Rock after she completed high school.
Career
Meredith was unable to enter the profession as an architect because of "both her race and her sex" and worked primarily as an art teacher Virginia State College, where she founded the Art Department. To get married. Later, she went back to Lynchburg and taught elementary school, before returning to college. In 1922, she attended Virginia State Normal and Industrial Institute, and afterwards, taught at Dunbar High School for six years.
In 1926, she moved to Brooklyn, New York, where she attended the Teacher"s College of Columbia University.
She studied fine arts, receiving a bachelor"s degree in 1930 and then her master"s degree in 1934. she then returned to Virginia where she founded the Arts Department for Virginia State University in 1935. Despite having no formal training in architecture, Meredith designed many homes for family and friends in Virginia, New York and Texas.
Her first building was Azurest South, which was completed in 1939 and was designed "both inside and out" completely by Meredith. She and her partner, Colson, moved in together and it would be their primary residence for the rest of their lives.
Azurest South is considered a rare example of Virginia"s International Style and displays her interest in avant-garde design.
Meredith also used Azurest South as her own art studio. In 1947, Meredith started developing a 120 lot subdivision in Sag Harbor called Azurest North. Azurest North was created for her family and friends to use.
In order to develop Azurest North, she and her friends created a group, called Azurest Syndicate, which worked to create an African American leisure community.
Lots were sold to investors who built cottages in Sag Harbor. Terry Cottage and Edendot were both designed by Meredith.
In 1958, she retired from teaching. She continued to design buildings and paint throughout the 1960s.
In the 1970s, Meredith designed logos to be used for a proposed name change for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).
Meredith died in 1984.