Vertner Woodson Tandy

The fraternity became incorporated under his auspices.

• Name — Vertner Woodson Tandy • Born — May 17, 1885 • Birthplace — Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. • Died — 7 November 1949 • Place of death — Manhattan, New York City, U.S. • Monuments — Historic marker in Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. • Known for — First registered African-American architect in New York State; co-founder of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity at Cornell University • Spouse — Sadie Tandy • Children — Vertner Woodson Tandy Jr.

Tandy was born on May 17, 1885, in Lexington, Kentucky. His parents were Henry A. Tandy and Emma Brice Tandy. Henry Tandy was a successful entrepreneur and building contractor. Born enslaved, in 1893 he established the firm Tandy & Byrd in Lexington. Among prominent projects of the firm are the Lexington Opera House and the Fayette County Courthouse, now the site of the Lexington Visitor Center. In 1904, Tandy attended Tuskegee Institute, studying architectural drawing. He married Sadie Dorsette, a daughter of the Montgomery physician Cornelius N. Dorsette. In 1905, he transferred to Cornell University, which he graduated from in 1907 with a degree in architecture. He was one of the founding members, collectively called the "Seven Jewels," of the Alpha Phi Alpha Society, the first African-American fraternity, in 1906.

After graduation, Tandy and George Washington Foster started their own firm, Tandy & Foster, with offices on Broadway in New York City. Tandy became the State of New York's first registered Black architect. • Illustration — Historic marker installed 2009 honoring Tandy, sponsored by Alpha Phi Alpha, the oldest African American fraternity Tandy's most famous commission was probably Villa Lewaro, the $250,000 mansion for the daughter of the Harlem millionairess Madam C. J. Walker, in Irvington on Hudson, New York. The Italianate-style mansion was completed in 1918 and became important in the Harlem Renaissance prior to Walker's death. Among his other extant work are the Ivey Delph Apartments, and St. Philip's Episcopal Church at 204 West 134th Street in Harlem, through his architectural firm, Tandy & Foster. The Ivey Delph Apartments, designed in 1948, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. Tandy also holds the distinction of being the first African American to pass the military commissioning examination. He was commissioned first lieutenant in the 15th Infantry of the New York National Guard.

Tandy died of pneumonia on November 7, 1949, aged 64, in Manhattan, New York City. He is honored with a historic marker in Lexington, Kentucky, installed in 2009.

• Berea Hall (1910) at Lincoln Institute, Simpsonville, Kentucky; as Tandy & Foster • St. Philip's Episcopal Church (1910–1911) at 204 West 134th Street, Harlem, Manhattan; as Tandy & Foster • Villa Lewaro (1918), Irvington, Hudson, New York; a $250,000 mansion for the daughter of the Harlem millionaire Madam C. J. Walker • Ivey Delph Apartments (1948) in Hamilton Heights, Manhattan; NRHP listed

The following is established of the heading itself.

The following works and productions are recorded by name or by count. It is also recorded that vertner Woodson Tandy is recorded with the occupation architect. The record continues: vertner Woodson Tandy is recorded as a citizen of United States. Recorded with the gender male. It is also recorded that vertner Woodson Tandy was born on 17 May 1885. Tandy died on 7 November 1949.