Vertner Woodson Tandy

Vertner Woodson Tandy (May 17, 1885 – November 7, 1949) was an American architect, The fraternity became incorporated under his auspices.

Early life and education Tandy was born on May 17, 1885, in Lexington, Kentucky.

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.

Career After graduation, Tandy and George Washington Foster started their own firm, Tandy & Foster, with offices on Broadway in New York City.

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. He is honored with a historic marker in Lexington, Kentucky, installed in 2009.

Work 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