Fountain Hall

Fountain Hall, formerly Fairchild Hall and Stone Hall, is a historic academic building on the grounds of Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia. Built in 1882, it is the oldest surviving building originally associated with Atlanta University - now Clark Atlanta University - which is the first of all historically black colleges and universities in the American South founded September 19, 1865. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974.[2][3] It is now named after Bishop William A. Fountain.[4]

Stone Hall, Atlanta University
Stone Hall in 1979
LocationMorris Brown College campus, Atlanta, Georgia
Coordinates33°45′16″N 84°24′31″W
Built1882
NRHP reference No.74000680
Significant dates
Added to NRHPDecember 2, 1974[1]
Designated NHLDecember 2, 1974[2]
Designated ALBOctober 14, 1989

Description and history

Fountain Hall is located southwest of downtown Atlanta, in the Atlanta University Center area, on the campus of Morris Brown College. It is set on the south side of Martin Luther King, Jr., Boulevard SW, between Sunset Avenue and Vine Street. The building is a ​3 1⁄2-story masonry structure, built out of red brick. It is capped by a hip roof, and has a five-story tower rising above its recessed entrance.[3] The building was designed by the Swedish-American architect G. L. Norrman in the High Victorian Gothic style.[5]

Atlanta University was founded September 19, 1865, chartered October 17, 1867; offered first instruction at postsecondary level 1869; first graduating class 1873, (normal school for future teachers including women); and awarded its first six bachelor‘s degrees June 1876. One woman earned a bachelors degree from Atlanta University between 1876 and 1895. Seven women received bachelor's degrees from Atlanta University between 1895 - 1900. Atlanta University awarded bachelor's degrees 53 years (1876-1929) before exclusively offering graduate degrees. In 1929–30, it began offering graduate education exclusively in various liberal arts areas, and in the social and natural forensics. and opened in 1869 by a missionary society, to provide a high-quality advanced education to southern African Americans. The school offered undergraduate and graduate-level education until 1929, when it became solely a graduate school, working in affiliation with the other schools in the Atlanta University Center. Stone Hall, the most prominent building on its campus, was built in 1882, and housed administrative offices and classrooms. The school produced a large number of prominent African American leaders in business, education and politics. Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois was the most distinguished members of the faculty. Stone Hall was in 1929 deeded to Morris Brown College, which renamed it first to Fairchild Hall and then Fountain Hall.[3]

Restoration campaign

In 2019, the Atlanta chapter of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History started a "Friends of Fountain" financial campaign to stabilize and preserve Fountain Hall, with the intention of eventually renovating the space as "an academic building and Civil Rights interpretive gallery."[6][7][8]

In July 2019, the National Park Service awarded the college $500,000 to help restore the building.[7][9]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. "Stone Hall, Atlanta University". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2009-01-31. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  3. James Sheire (August 1974). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Fairchild Hall / Atlanta University - Stone Hall" (pdf). National Park Service. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. "Fountain Hall". City of Atlanta Urban Design Commission. Archived from the original on July 5, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
  5. "Fountain Hall | Atlanta, GA". www.atlantaga.gov. Archived from the original on 29 May 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  6. "Atlanta's Historic Fountain Hall". Fountain Hall. Atlanta Branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Archived from the original on 22 May 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020. The Fountain (Stone) Hall Preservation Project of Morris Brown College has as its goals to 1) executive the recommendations of the Lord, Aeck, Sargent Architecture Condition Assessment Report (CAR) to stabilize (mothball) this National Historic Landmark building, designated in 1976, for a period of up to five years, and 2) provide Morris Brown College safe and secure access to 1882 building for “Friends of Fountain” Capital Campaign fundraising activities to secure funding to fully restore/rehabilitate Fountain (Stone) Hall as an academic building and Civil Rights interpretive gallery in collaboration with the Atlanta Branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH).
  7. Keenan, Sean Richard (3 January 2020). "Morris Brown College's historic Fountain Hall could finally be on the verge of salvation". Curbed Atlanta. Archived from the original on 22 May 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  8. Suggs, Ernie (27 December 2019). "Grant could be key step in restoring Morris Brown's historic building". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on 22 May 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  9. Suggs, Ernie (10 July 2019). "Morris Brown wins national grant to repair historic Fountain Hall". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on 17 August 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
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