Chappelle Administration Building

Chappelle Administration Building

The Chappelle Administration Building of Allen University was a school organized and run by African-Americans, it was originally Payne Institute, founded in Cokesbury in 1870 to educate students of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

In 1881, the College was renamed Allen University in honor of the founder of the denomination, Bishop Richard Allen, and moved to the corner of Harden and Taylor Streets in Columbia.

The Chappelle Administration Building was designed by John Anderson Lankford, known as the "dean of black architects."

It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976 and cited as one Lankford's most important works.

It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976.