On June 19, 2012, Lynn Waller, archivist, interviewed Mr. Leon Bridges, founder of the Leon Bridges Company. The Leon Bridges Company performed the renovation/restoration work on the Mt. Moriah AME Church, now site of the Banneker-Douglass Museum (BDM). Mr. Bridges, as head of the company, was the first registered African American architect in the state of Maryland. Mr. Bridges generously agreed to an oral history interview, in which Lynn asked Mr. Bridges questions about his work on Mt. Moriah. The oral history interview went very well, and Mr. Bridges was very happy to share his memories and experiences in renovating Mt. Moriah. Mr. Bridges was full of energy and spirit during the interview, and seemed to very much enjoy sharing his experiences, and we at the BDM certainly enjoyed hearing about them.
Mr. Bridges allowed Michael Janakis, Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library (SGGL) intern, to sit in on the interview. Michael enjoyed the interview very much, and was even able to talk to Mr. Bridges privately while Lynn performed some tasks. Mr. Bridges and Michael were able to talk about the Harlem Renaissance, and Mr. Bridges recommended some books to Michael. Mr. Bridges was also able to help Michael identify his employees on the Mt. Moriah project, Shesh Shastry and Orin Bullock, in some of our archival photographs. Shesh Shastry was the Senior Designer on the renovation project.
Mr. Bridges also showed the SGGL staff and Dr. Joni Jones some slides from his company's restoration of Mt. Moriah. Mr. Bridges generously allowed us to make copies of his slides for our records.
We at the Banneker-Douglass Museum would like to express our heartfelt thanks to Mr. Bridges for taking the times to share his memories and experiences here at Mt. Moriah AME Church with us. We at the BDM were so very glad to have hosted him.
Pictured: Architect Leon Bridges
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