McKissack & McKissack is an outgrowth of the oldest minority-owned architecture/engineering firm in the United States.
Its roots go back to before the Civil War, when a slave named Moses McKissack learned the building trade from his overseer. It was his grandson, Moses III, who launched the first McKissack & McKissack in Nashville, Tennessee. The year was 1905.
McKissack & McKissack was founded by Deryl McKissack in 1990. When Ms. McKissack established her company, she was the fifth generation of her family to carry on the building tradition.
1905
Moses III, along with his brother Calvin, launches the first McKissack architecture and engineering firm in Nashville, TN. He was the grandson of Moses McKissack, a slave who learned the trade of building from his owner and began a family legacy in the industry.
1912
Calvin McKissack starts his independent practice in Dallas, TX, specializing in the design and construction of dormitories and churches.
1922
Calvin rejoins Moses II and the two become among the first registered architects in the state of Tennessee and the first licensed black architects throughout the southeast.