All About The First Ghanaian Architect Who Made Ghana Proud

Theodore Shealtiel Clerk was the first Ghanaian architect

In an era where British architects were the constructors of some iconic architectural buildings including the University of Ghana, the Supreme Court, and others that have remained with Ghana, it was a great feat to emerge the first Ghanaian with outstanding knowledge about designing, building, and construction.

His name is Theodore Shealtiel Clerk, a Ghanaian born in Akuapem-Larteh in the Eastern Region to a Basel Missionary and founding father of the Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School (Legon), Nicholas Timothy Clerk and Anna Alice Meyer.

Born on September 4, 1909, T.S Clerk, as he became known as, attended the Basel Mission in Larteh and Salem School at Osu for his basic education and then furthered to the Achimota College where he was trained in technical drawing and draughtsmanship.

After this, he was trained professionally through scholarships at the Edinburgh College of Art at the University of Edinburgh at age 29 and then subsequently at the Royal Institute of British Architects in England.

Information from curiousedingburgh.org indicates that Theodore Clerk worked for both the Scottish National Buildings Record and the Department of Health for Scotland as a student and was admitted as an associate by the Royal Institute of British Architects (ARIBA) upon successful completion of his examinations in 1943.

Resultantly, he was awarded the Rutland Prize by the Royal Scottish Academy and returned to Ghana as the only formally trained and professionally certified Ghanaian Architect in the country for a while.

As the only Ghanaian architect, until he was joined by two others in the 1950s, Clerk joined the Town and Country Planning Department in Accra and was later appointed the Chief Architect and Town Planner at the Tema Development Corporation by 1954.

He led the design, urban planning and development of the port city of Tema which was commissioned by Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

Theodore Clerk also served as an external examiner at the Department of Architecture of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

He eventually was promoted to become the first Chief Executive Officer of the Tema Development Corporation after it became a public-owned corporate entity and became the presidential advisor to Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

T. S. Clerk was also elected the first President of the Ghana Institute of Architects.

He was married to a midwife, Paulina Quist who was the daughter of the first African President of the Legislative Council.

In1965, Clerk passed away after suffering some stomach cancer-related complications and was buried at the now Osu Cemetary which was then known as the Christianborg Civil Cemetary.

The T.S Clerk Street in Tema Community 1 has been named after him in his memory and to honour his efforts towards the development of Ghana.

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