BIOGRAPHY:  John E. Brent

John E. Brent was born circa 1889 in Washington, D.C.  Brent’s father, Charles T.S. Brent, is acknowledged as that city’s first black architect.  He worked in the early 1870s and a number of his buildings are still standing, including the historic St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. The Brent family was related to the Wormley family, owners of the Wormley hotel in Washington, D.C. John Brent’s paternal grandparents were John and Elizabeth Edmondson Brent.  His grandfather was a slave, who purchased his freedom and that of his wife.  John Brent was the founding pastor of John Wesley AME Zion Church in 1847 and the family were devoted members of the church.  Calvin Brent died in 1899 and did not see his son follow in his footsteps.

Brent graduated from the D.C. Public Schools.  In 1904, he enrolled at Tuskegee Institute, where, according to a 1926 Buffalo American news article, “…. he took up carpentry for two years, to get an intimate knowledge of building.”  He graduated from Tuskegee, in 1907, after taking a one-year architectural program.  Returning to Washington, Brent taught school for two years before deciding to pursue architecture at Drexel Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Brent was awarded a full scholarship at Drexel.  He completed the architectural course of studies, graduating in 1912.

Brent moved to Buffalo after his graduation from Drexel and in a relatively short time found employment in the Architectural firm of Max G. Beierl.  Brent was the first African American architect in the city.  From Beierl, he went to H. Osgood Holland.  While working for Holland, Brent worked on the plans for Hutchinson High School.  He then secured employment with Waterbury & Mann, where he worked on plans for the Wanaka Country Club.  Next he moved to work for the firm of Julius E. Schultz. 

Following this position, the Buffalo American article states that Brent worked two years, beginning in 1912, for the firm of North Shelgren & Swift.  Since the article chronicled all of Brent’s previous employment before the Shelgren & Swift position, it’s possible that the paper made a typo and the year should have been noted as 1921.  The newspaper article continues by noting that at the “present” time, Brent was working for Oakley & Schallmore.  Brent resigned that position in order to take the position as the chief architect for the new City YMCA that was being planned for African Americans.

In 1926, Brent became the second African-American, in the country, to design a “colored” YMCA. The history of the Michigan Avenue Y is recounted in this bio-sketch because it is important to the history of this extraordinary individual.  Brent far exceeded his role of architect and builder to play an on-going role as member of the Board of Directors, fundraiser, consumer and contributor.  He was intimately involved with the Y for the rest of his life.

The first branch of the YMCA for the “colored” population of Buffalo was located on Michigan Avenue in the former home of St. Luke’s AME Zion Church.  Opened in 1923, the Michigan Avenue Y was a response to a growing Black population.  As evidence of that, it quickly outgrew its facilities.  The decision of the Metropolitan Y to build new, expansive quarters that would address the educational, cultural and social needs of the black community was in response to this unprecedented growth.   They Metropolitan Y launched a building campaign in 1925, entitled the Jubilee Building – Merger Fund.  The response of the Black community was extraordinary, often exceeding the daily totals set for it.

Brent was not only the architect for this building, but he also over-saw the construction and ensured that many skilled African Americans found employment on this project.  The Y, originally estimated to cost $200,000 was built at a cost of $285,000.  A challenge grant of $25,000 by Sears Roebuck’s founder and philanthropist, Julius Rosenwald was met by the community, which raised the remaining funds.  George Mathews, owner of the Buffalo News and his wife, were also major contributors to the fund and on-going financial supporters.  The Mathews established the Booker T. Washington Endowment Fund with a $100,000 initial contribution in 1928. Upon his death, the Mathews estate left $350,000 to the Washington Endowment Fund.

The building that Brent designed was a Georgian Style Colonial that housed a cafeteria, gymnasium, swimming pool, barber shop, tailor shop, library, classrooms, locker rooms, dormitory rooms and a billiard room.  The Y served as the center of social, cultural, recreational and educational life in the Black community for nearly fifty years.  Many of the great leaders from around the country, e.g. W.E.B. DuBois, Mary McCloud Bethune, and Congressman Oscar DePriest came to the Michigan Avenue Y.  And many of Buffalo’s African American leaders were Y members and/or volunteers.  The Michigan Avenue Y was demolished in April 1977.

John Brent designed a number of additional buildings in Buffalo and Western New York during his career, including an office for Dr. Myron McGuire, a prominent Buffalo dentist; Wales Hollow Y Camp and the summer home of Clara Payne.  In the 1950s, Brent is listed as an architect with the Buffalo Parks Department.  According to his son, Robert Milliner, Brent worked on the design for the Buffalo Zoo. Brent worked with the Zoo’s Director, at the time, Marlon Perkins.  Brent also returned to Washington for a period of time in the 1930s, according to his son Bob, and worked on Founder’s Library at Howard University.

In addition to his volunteer activities with the Y, Brent was one of the founding members of the Buffalo Branch NAACP and its first president. He was a long time member of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, serving on the Vestry for many years. In 1962, he received the Bishop’s Medal for meritorious service.  He was also a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity.  His son, Bob, notes that “he was not a pretentious person, he was very grassroots.  There wasn’t an organization he wouldn’t join, if it was about something.”

John Brent and his wife, Neeton, were long-time residents of 219 Glenwood Avenue.  They had a son and a daughter.   He died on October 27, 1962 and is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery.