Architect, builder, construction firm owner, businessperson
Years active
1916–1965
Spouse
Leola Calloway
Sanford Augustus Brookins (1877–1968), also known as Sanford Augustus Brookings, was an American architect, builder, and businessperson.[1] In the early 20th-century, he was one of two African-American architect-builders in Jacksonville, Florida.[2] He was instrumental in the formation of a few key neighborhoods including Sugar Hill, Durkee Gardens, and Riverside within Jacksonville; and the seaside community of American Beach.
In 1904, Brookins moved to Jacksonville, Florida eventually settling in the Sugar Hill neighborhood.[3] He worked as a construction foreman for twelve years, before starting his own residential construction business in 1916.[2][4] Brookins primarily designed and built houses in the Sugar Hill neighborhood; the newer neighborhood of Durkee Gardens; and Riverside, a historically white neighborhood.[2] He is also credited with designing two beach cottages at American Beach, an early oceanfront resort developed specifically for African Americans in Florida.[2] By 1925, he had designed and built more than 150 residential buildings.[4]
