The True Reformer Building was completed in 1903 at 1200 U Street NW in Washington, DC. It was built for the Grand United Order of True Reformers, an African American organization that helped Black families through business services, financial assistance, and community support. The building was designed by John Anderson Lankford, one of Washington’s first Black professional architects. It was probably the first major building in the United States after Reconstruction to be financed, designed, constructed, and owned entirely through African American efforts. During segregation, Black Americans often faced discrimination when trying to get loans, insurance, and business opportunities. The True Reformers helped provide services that were difficult to obtain from white-owned institutions.

The building also became a place where African Americans could meet, organize, and support their community. Over the years, it housed businesses, civic organizations, meeting rooms, and cultural events. Groups connected to Black business development and community improvement used the building, and Duke Ellington also performed there. The building showed the importance of economic independence in the wider struggle for racial equality. The original four-story structure still stands at the corner of 12th and U Streets NW. In 1999, the Public Welfare Foundation purchased the building and later restored it for nonprofit and community use. Today, it remains a reminder of how African Americans created opportunities for themselves during segregation.