The late Houstonian Willie C. Jordan Jr. is being remembered as a Texas architectural pioneer who made a lasting impact on his profession and community. He died Oct. 3 at the age of 87.
Services are Monday, October 20 at the Windsor Village Church Family, 6011 W. Orem Drive. The visitation is at 10 a.m. and the celebration of life is at 11 a.m.
Jordan, the third Black architect licensed in Texas, was a trailblazer in other ways. In 1956, he became one of the first Black undergraduates at the University of Texas at Austin.
He began his professional career in Houston working for John S. Chase, the first licensed Black architect in Texas. Jordan later co-founded Haywood Jordan McCowan Architects & Planners of Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. He served as director of architecture for ESPA Corp and senior architect for KCI. After retiring from KCI, he started Jordan Architecture Group (JAG) Consulting firm in 2018.
Jordan’s architectural work can be seen in the H&PE Arena at Texas Southern University, W. Leo Daniels Towers, Shepard-Acres Homes Neighborhood Library, Smiley High School, Barbara Jordan Post Office, George R. Brown Convention Center and Acres Homes, Kashmere and Northeast Multi-Service Centers.
He designed the new Phillis Wheatley High School, which opened in 2006. Jordan, one of 12 children, grew up in Fifth Ward and was a proud Wheatley graduate. After enrolling in UT, he experienced overt racism, which helped him develop determination, social awareness and unity.
Jordan later told the Texas Exes publication Alcalde, “We had some good, some bad, and some ugly, but I met great people and I earned a fantastic education…”He was a founding member of Precursors, a nonprofit started in 2010 to honor the legacy of Black alumni who entered UT a minimum of 40 years ago and support future generations.
He was a member of the Wheatley Alumni Association, an inductee into the Wheatley Hall of Fame and a member of the AIA-American Institute of Architects, National Organization of Minority Architects and Black Organization for Leadership Development. He volunteered with the South MacGregor Civic Club, Small Business Advisory Club, Houston Port Authority and the Municipal Arts Commission.
Survivors include his wife, Carolyn; sons, Willie C. III and Dr. Andre Jordan; brothers, Ernest and Paul Jordan; sisters, Frances Jordan Plummer, Cheryl Jordan Murray and Dr. Paulette L. Jordan; and grandson, Taylor.
Houstonians pay tribute to Willie C. Jordan Jr.
Rodney Ellis, Harris County commissioner
“I first had the honor and privilege of meeting Mr. Willie Jordan in 1981 at his office on Southmore Street. I cherished the friendship I made then with a legendary Phillis Wheatley High School graduate who leaves an indelible mark as one of the first African American graduates of the University of Texas, a business owner and decorated architect. As a UT alumnus, I’m forever grateful for Mr. Jordan and his classmates who entered UT in 1956. I was 2 years old at the time. Now, I realize their intelligence, bravery and perseverance paved the way for generations of African Americans who later attended UT. He will be remembered for his community service, his mentorship to others and his fine work that still stands in Houston, including the Health and Physical Education Building at Texas Southern University, Acres Homes and Kashmere Multi-Service Centers, as well as several other buildings that he designed.”
Howard Jefferson, former NAACP national board member
“I met Willie when we were both students at the University of Texas in 1963. Willie should be remembered as a friend to all he encountered. He was a great leader. We gave him the nickname “Super,” which indicated the type of person he was.”
Jodie L. Jiles, business & community leader
“I first met Willie Jordan in the late ‘70s in Houston. I knew him by his reputation, first and foremost, as a groundbreaking architect and one of the first Black students at UT. I met him through our great mutual friend, the late Commissioner El Franco Lee. We were also both graduates of Phillis Wheatley High School and UT. Willie Jordan should be remembered as a man who loved God, his family and his profession, and opened the doors for many to follow. May our heavenly Father continue to bless his family.”
Jim Lemond, retired attorney
“I met Willie in 1966 at the University of Houston when I was completing my undergraduate degree and he was the supervising architect on a new building on the campus…Years later after my service as a military lawyer in the U.S. Army, I returned to Houston and helped form a small law firm of African American lawyers. We hired Willie’s newly formed architectural firm to design the restoration of a Third Ward house as our firm’s office location. Willie led the project, which still stands as a premier office building in Houston. Over the years, we became good friends personally, socially, professionally and politically. We remained friends until his death. Willie Jordan should be remembered as an exceptional trailblazer who widened the path forward for aspiring African American architects. He helped to create opportunities for the younger generation that had been denied to him in times of blatant and overt racism in Texas.”