He was also the first African American to serve on the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, which reviewed the design for the United States Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
[4] On June 7, 1950, Chase enrolled in the University of Texas School of Architecture master's program, making the university the first in the South to enroll an African American.
Upon graduation, no white firm would hire him, so Chase moved to Houston, Texas to teach at Texas Southern University and to start his own firm, which he owned and operated for over 50 years.
Although he had been designing buildings since the late 1940s, Chase started officially practicing architecture in 1952.
[7] Over the course of his career, Chase received numerous accolades for his professional and civic achievements.