[1] He was the second formally educated practicing African American architect in the United States.
[4] Rayfield attended schools in Macon, Georgia before moving to Washington, D.C. to live with his aunt after the death of his mother.
[6][7] In 1907, Rayfield opened a professional office in Tuskegee, Alabama from which he sold mail-order plans nationwide.
He also advertised "branch offices" in Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile and Talladega, Alabama and Atlanta, Savannah, Macon and Augusta, Georgia.
He left Tuskegee Institute and moved to Birmingham, Alabama in 1908 to focus on his young practice.