Charles Francis McAfee, FAIA, NOMA (born December 25, 1932),^[1] is an American architect, building material manufacturer, and housing activist. He was the founding president of Charles F. McAfee Architects, Engineers, and Planners firm (now McAfee³) which was headquartered in Wichita, Kansas.^[2] McAfee has had a distinguished career, and has been considered one of the most important African-American architect in the United States for his social activism in designing affordable housing.^[3][4] He was a mentor to many of Black architects, including two of his own daughters.^[5]

Charles Francis McAfee was born on December 25, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, to parents Willie Anna (née Brown) and Arthur James McAfee.^[1][3] He served with United States Army from 1953 to 1955, during the end of the Korean War and was sent to Germany.^[5] McAfee graduated with a B.Arch in 1958 from University of Nebraska–Lincoln.^[1] In 1955, he married childhood friend and singer, Gloria Myrth Winston.^[5]

In 1963, McAfee began his own firm in Wichita, named Charles F. McAfee Architects, Engineers and Planners; the firm grew and opened satellite offices in Dallas and Atlanta.^[6] McAfee was known for his modernist designs.^[7] He tackled social inequalities with a focus on designing affordable housing and utilized a modular approach.^[8] In order to build the modular building components, Mc Afee opened a manufacturing plant in 1994 that hired and trained people from the community.^[8][9] In 1999, the manufacturing plant was shut down after facing debt.^[10]

In 1976, he served as president of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). In 1981, McAfee was elected to the Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA).^[11] His awards include the Whitney M. Young Jr. Award (1999) by the American Institute of Architects at the AIA National Convention and Expo in Dallas, Texas.^[8][12] His archived papers are at the University of Kansas.^[6]

In 2006, the architecture firm transitioned ownership to his daughters. His daughters Cheryl Lynn McAfee Mitchell, and Charyl Frena McAfee-Duncan are also notable architects and serve in leadership positions at McAfee³ Architects in Atlanta.^{[13][14][5][15][16]} In 2020, the Wichita McAdams Park Pool was renamed the McAfee Pool in his honor.^[17]

• R. A. Eubanks residence (1964), 1436 North Madison Avenue, Wichita, Kansas^[18]
• Jackson Mortuary (1965), 600 North Main Street, Wichita, Kansas^[19]
• McAdams Park pool (1969), Wichita, Kansas^[3][17]
• McKnight Art Center (1970), Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas^[4][20]
• Edwin A. Ulrich Museum (1974), Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas^[4]
• Midtown station (MARTA) (1982), Atlanta, Georgia^[3]
• 1996 Olympic Games (1996), Atlanta, Georgia^[10][21]
• McAdams Park concession stand and restrooms (2016), Wichita, Kansas
• Oklahoma City School District 89 renovation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma^[3]
• Calvary Baptist Church, Wichita, Kansas^[3]

• African-American architects
• McKissack & McKissack