David Williston facts for kids
David A. Williston (1868–1962) was a very important person in American history. He was the first African American to be a professionally trained landscape architect in the United States. A landscape architect designs outdoor spaces like parks, gardens, and college campuses. David Williston designed many campuses for colleges that were started for Black students, known as historically black colleges and universities. One famous campus he designed was Tuskegee University. He also taught about plants and how to design landscapes.
Early Life and Learning
David Williston was born in 1868 in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He was one of thirteen children. He studied at Howard University Normal School and finished in 1895. After that, he went to Cornell University to study agriculture, which is the science of farming and growing plants. He was taught by a famous plant expert named Liberty Hyde Bailey. In 1898, Williston made history by becoming the first African American to graduate from Cornell University with a degree in agriculture. He was also one of the first African Americans to graduate from Cornell in any subject. Later, he took more classes in engineering.
His Work as a Designer and Teacher
Williston taught at several historically black colleges. He started teaching in 1898 at the State College of North Carolina at Greensboro.
In 1902, he began teaching horticulture (the art of growing plants) at Tuskegee Institute. He taught there for 27 years, on and off. While at Tuskegee, he was also in charge of the buildings and grounds from 1910 to 1929. During this time, he created the main design plan for the campus and many of its buildings. He also designed the landscape for the training school where the famous Tuskegee Airmen learned to fly.
Williston was a lifelong friend of George Washington Carver, another famous teacher at Tuskegee. Carver's home, called The Oaks, was built by students as part of their learning. Williston helped guide the students in designing the landscape around the home.
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Later Career and Legacy
In 1930, Williston moved to Washington D.C. There, he opened his own landscape architecture company. This was likely the first landscape architecture firm in the United States owned by an African American.
Williston kept teaching and working as a landscape architect. He designed the campuses for many historically black colleges. Some of the colleges he worked with include Fisk University, Clark University, and Howard University. He also designed the outdoor areas for the Langston Terrace Dwellings, a housing project, between 1935 and 1938.
He continued to work with Tuskegee Institute, giving advice from 1929 to 1948. In 1948, he even introduced a new landscape plan for the campus.
David Williston kept working into his 90s. He passed away in 1962 when he was 94 years old.
