Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity: A Centennial Celebration

The “Seven Jewels”: Students, Then Brothers

Vertner Woodson Tandy, 1884-1949

Birthplace: Lexington, KY
Cornell Attendance and Affiliation: Attended Cornell from 1905 to 1908 as a Special Architecture Student
Occupation: Architect; first African American architect registered in New York State; one of the First African Americans to become a member of the American Institute of Architects
Role in the Fraternity: Jewel; designer of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity pin; Treasurer of Alpha Chapter; founder of Delta Chapter at the University of Toronto

In the city of Ithaca, New York, April 8, 1992 was named Vertner Woodson Tandy Day.

St. Philip’s Protestant Episcopal Church, 210-216 West 134th Street, Borough of Manhattan, was built 1910-11. Architects: Vertner W. Tandy and George W. Foster, Jr. A report on the church is part of the New York (N.Y.) Landmarks Preservation Commission, held at Columbia University.

For more information on the structure and commission, see: Streetscapes/St. Philip's Episcopal Church;After the Wooden Ceiling Came Tumbling Down

Photograph of Vertner W. Tandy, Founder of Alpha Phi Alpha [view]

Honor Designs. Cornell University. College of Architecture. Vol. VII. 1906-07. Cornell University College of Architecture, Art and Planning student projects [view]

Tandy’s drawing of a pool and pavilion (ca. 1906-1907) was part of a volume of student honors designs.

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