Amzi Lorenzo Barber (June 22, 1843 – April 17, 1909) was a pioneer of the asphalt industry in the United States, and an early participant in the automobile industry as well. He laid many of the roads in Westchester County, New York and was known as "The Asphalt King". Early life Amzi Barber was born on June 22, 1843 in Saxtons River, Vermont. He was the son of Amzi Doolittle Barber (1810–1901), a pastor of the Congregationalist Church, and Nancy Irene Bailey. He grew up in Ohio and attended Oberlin College, graduating in 1867. Career After graduating from college, he briefly considered following his father's vocation in the ministry, but instead took a teaching position at Howard University. At Howard, he was "Principal of Normal and Preparatory Department" as well as Professor of Natural Philosophy and Acting Professor of Mathematics until his resignation in 1873. He graduated from Columbian University in Washington, DC in 1877. In late August 1902, the newly formed Consolidated National Bank elected Amzi L. Barber, Lyman G. Bloomingdale, and James Newcomb as directors. Real estate development In 1873, abandoning teaching, Barber developed LeDroit Park, a neighborhood adjacent to Howard University with his brother-in-law, Andrew Langdon (d. 1919). He named the neighborhood after his father-in-law, LeDroict Langdon, but left out the (c) in his name. It was one of the first suburbs of Washington, and was developed and marketed as a "romantic" neighborhood with narrow tree-lined streets that bore the same names as the trees that shaded them, differing from the street names used in the rest of the city. Extensive focus was placed on the landscaping of this neighborhood, as developers spent a large sum of money to plant flower beds and trees to attract high-profile professionals from the city. It was originally a whites-only neighborhood and was gated with guards to promote the security for its residents. In July 1888, students tore down the fences that separated the neighborhood in protest of its discriminating policies. In 1875, he developed the Le Droit Building at 800 F Street Northwest in Washington, D.C., across the street from the Old Patent Office Building, which in 2016 houses the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. As of 2004, the building houses the International Spy Museum. In 1892, he bought the property known as "Ardsley Towers" in Irvington, NY. The property was built by Cyrus W. Field