SKU: 24413861807

The Architectural Legacy of Wallace A. Rayfield: Pioneer Black Architect of Birmingham, Alabama

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Description

The Architectural Legacy of Wallace A. Rayfield: Pioneer Black Architect of Birmingham, AlabamaA priceless material legacy documenting Wallace Rayfields life and work on two continents. In the early 1990s, while cleaning out the barn on his property in Bessemer, Alabama, Allen Durough discovered the remnants of the lifework of African American architect Wallace A. Rayfield, including several hundred of Rayfields drawings, floor plans, business advertisements, family portraits, and graphic art pieces. This book gathers that priceless material

A priceless material legacy documenting Wallace Rayfield’s life and work on two continents.

In the early 1990s, while cleaning out the barn on his property in Bessemer, Alabama, Allen Durough discovered the remnants of the lifework of African American architect Wallace A. Rayfield, including several hundred of Rayfield’s drawings, floor plans, business advertisements, family portraits, and graphic art pieces. This book gathers that priceless material legacy into a cohesive whole, reproducing 159 illustrations that document Rayfield’s life and work on two continents.

Born in Macon, Georgia, in 1873, Rayfield apprenticed as a young man with the noted architectural firm A. B. Mullet and Company in Washington, DC, before attending Howard University, Pratt Polytechnic Institute, and ultimately graduating with a bachelor of architecture degree from Columbia University. He returned south to teach at the Tuskegee Institute and then to establish W. A. Rayfield & Co., Architects, in Birmingham, Alabama. From there he designed buildings for construction across the south (many by mail order) and even in Africa. Rayfield specialized in church architecture, and many of his designs were for black congregations within the state, most notably the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. But he also designed schools, office buildings, and private homes. After falling into bankruptcy during the Great Depression, he died in obscurity.

Durough includes catalog-style descriptive entries and illustrations of Rayfield’s designs for six types of structures: residences, churches, schools, commercial buildings, fraternal buildings, and barns. These entries contain location, commissioning data, and brief structural notes, providing a useful resource for architectural historians and preservationists. A listing of the 359 known Rayfield structures detail their locations in 19 states, plan date, building type, and name. Also included is a biographical sketch of Rayfield, an overview of his publications, and a survey of his professional artwork and advertisements.
Format: Hardcover.
Page count: 176 pgs.
Measures: 9" x 0.7" x 7"

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SKU: 24413861807

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Anna S
Carnegie, US
★★★★★ 3
Looks nice, but rusted after 6 months of use
Color: Black
The caddy was aesthetically pleasing, with enough room to hold my dish soap, hand-soap and sponge as well as a brush. I really love how it looks, but only after 6 months of using this, the wires in the holder is already rusted. It looks nice but not really of good quality.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2026
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Theresia T Sullivan
Los Angeles, US
★★★★★ 5
Great solution
Color: Black, Size: 7.9" x 3.7" x 6.2"
Works out great for the sink in my camper. It holds everything I need and takes up very little room.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2026
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Mama Love
Dallas, US
★★★★★ 5
Good buy, worth the
Color: Black, Size: 7.9" x 3.7" x 6.2"
It's a perfect size for the space on your sink, next to the faucet. It is a good, stable, organizational piece. It is sturdy. No assembly is required. Its very easy to clean. I'm very pleased I purchased this item.
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Diana Dunlap
Port Orchard, US
★★★★★ 5
Great product. Love that the water drains into the sink. Not all over my sink back.
Color: Black, Size: 7.9" x 3.7" x 6.2", Color: Black, Size: 7.9" x 3.7" x 6.2"
Very sturdy, functional and decorative.
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MH18
Draper, US
★★★★★ 4
Pretty good size, and storage but it moves a little.
Color: Black, Size: 7.9" x 3.7" x 6.2"
I ordered this in black, and it holds a large bottle of hand soap, my dish wand, and two other sponges/scrubbers. It really does drain into the sink, but you have to be careful to place it on the edge of the sink, or the water will drip onto the counter. Also, it's very light, so if you only have a few items in it, it's likely to move or fall when you reach for a sponge. Since we put a solid bottle of hand soap in there, it is much more stable, even when I'm using the pump dispenser. I can't tell if it's rustproof for long-term use, but so far it's functional after adding something to weigh it down. I like it much better than the flat sponge caddy we had before, and the quality seems good. I would like it to be more stable, but otherwise it's useful
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Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2026

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