Bio:

Born in Arkansas and raised in Phoenix, Rushia Fellows (1925-1990) was the first African-American graduate of Arizona State University's Architecture program. In 1965 he became the first African-American registered architect in Arizona. After a successful architectural practice, he became an instructor at ASU's Architecture Design School. After his death, the ASU Rushia G. Fellows Minority Student Scholarship was created in his honor to “eradicate inequality, quietly, and persistently.”

​

What do you do?

Private Practice Architect, Architecture Instructor at Arizona State University

​

What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?

Rushia Fellows achievement: laid the foundation for future generations of architects that are minorities – out of 2,164 registered architects in Arizona, 15 are African American. His legacy is NOMAarizona, where "Our strength is our diversity".

​

Featured Project Name: 

South Mountain Community Center, Greater Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church,Sunnyslope Community Center

​

Featured Project Location: 

Phoenix, Arizona

​

Featured Project Completion Date: 

N/A

​

Role in Featured Project: 

Architect

​

Featured Project Description:

Mr. Fellow's first job was as a draftsman for the architect Frank R. Fazio in the early 1950s. He later worked as a draftsman for Floyd Le Raine in the early 1960s and was later employed by the Del Webb Corporation from 1963 to 1972. Mr. Fellows formed his own Phoenix-based architectural practice and completed municipal, community, and religious projects from 1973 into the 1980s. He designed more than 50 buildings during 21 years of professional practice.

​

Photography Credit:

Doug Sydnor