Robert Robinson Taylor

Robert Robinson Taylor was an African American architect and the first Black graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1892. Born in Wilmington, North Carolina in 1868, Taylor was the son of a slave and grew up during the Reconstruction Era.

After graduating from MIT, Taylor went on to become a prominent architect and educator, designing many notable buildings across the United States. He worked with several prominent architects, including John M. Carrere and Thomas Hastings, and was a member of the American Institute of Architects.

Taylor’s legacy as a pioneering Black architect was recognized by the United States Postal Service in 2015, when it issued a commemorative stamp in his honor as part of its “Black Heritage” series. The stamp features a portrait of Taylor, along with an image of the building he designed for Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, where he served as the head of the architecture department for over 30 years. The stamp serves as a tribute to Taylor’s significant contributions to American architecture and his enduring legacy as a trailblazing figure in the field.