Petersburg: Trailblazer Amaza Lee Meredith celebrated in new audio documentary series

PETERSBURG — One of the first Black woman architects, Amaza Lee Meredith from Petersburg, will be celebrated in the latest episodes of the New Angle: Voice audio documentary series created by Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation.

According to historian Jacqueline Taylor, Meredith [1895-1984] studied at Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute, now known as Virginia State University [VSU]. In 1947, she enrolled at Teachers College in New York City.

One of Meredith's best documented works is Azurest South, located on the VSU campus. Completed in 1939, it served as her home/studio and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. National Historic Landmark status is pending.

The Virginia Department of Historic Resources describes Azurest South as being located in the Chesterfield County town of Ettrick and Meredith's design as a compact, clean-lined dwelling. It is among the Commonwealth’s few mature examples of the International Style, a style which developed in Germany following World War I and espoused a complete break with traditional architecture.

The architect shared the house with her partner Edna Meade Colson [1888-1985], a leading Black educator and activist. In 1986, Azurest South became the official Alumni House for the Virginia State University Alumni Association, a dream of Meredith's.

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Sag Harbor, New York: Azurest North

Meredith’s life will soon be in the popular imagination: Actor Laurence Fishburne is producing a new HBO Max series based on Colson Whitehead’s novel "Sag Harbor," a place where Meredith and her sister Maude Terry developed a destination resort for middle-class Blacks. HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service.

Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation [BWAF] executive director Cynthia Phifer Kracauer leads this effort. She conceived and produced the audio documentaries with noted writer and editor Alexandra Lange Ph.D. and the acclaimed producer Brandi Howell.

The production team traveled to Petersburg, Charlottesville, Richmond and Manassas and interviewed preachers and historians like Grady Powell who document how Meredith founded a department at a university, taught art at Virginia State and more.

On Sag Harbor, Azurest North has been listed since 2019 as part of a historic district. The Sag Harbor work includes two residences by Meredith, including her family’s cottage where Meredith’s drafting table could be found.

Find Meredith’s audio documentary at bwafnewanglevoice.libsyn.com and other podcast sites/platforms. The episode debuts today, Wednesday, May 31.

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This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Petersburg: Black pioneer Amaza Lee Meredith celebrated in new podcast