Gorgas-Manly Historic District
| Gorgas-Manly Historic District | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| National Register of Historic Places | |||
| Historic District | |||
 Gorgas House in 1934 |
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| location | Tuscaloosa , Alabama | ||
| Coordinates | 33 ° 12 '44 " N , 87 ° 32' 45" W | ||
| surface | just under five hectares | ||
| NRHP number | 71000108 | ||
| The NRHP added | July 14, 1971 | ||
The Gorgas-Manly Historic District is a historic district in Tuscaloosa , Alabama . It covers an area of almost five hectares with eight buildings on the campus of the University of Alabama . These buildings represent the university's architectural history from the establishment of the facility to the end of the 19th century. Two buildings included in the district, Gorgas House and Little Round House, are among only seven university structures that survived the fire on April 4, 1865, laid by Union forces on the orders of Brigadier General John T. Croxton . The other overhanging buildings are the President's Mansion and the Old Observatory, plus a few less faculty residences.
Woods Hall was the first structure built after the Civil War . The other five buildings, Clark, Manly, Garland, Tuomey and Barnard Hall, reflect construction activity on the campus during the economic recovery that followed the end of Reconstruction .
The university financed the construction of Manly, Clark and Garland Halls and other buildings through the sale of a large piece of land, 46,800 acres , which the university received from the United States Congress in compensation “for the fiery destruction wrought by federal troops 1865 brought ".
On July 14, 1971, Gorgas-Manly was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a Historic District .
Description of the district
Gorgas House
An early example of Alabama classicism architecture is Gorgas House, which was the first building erected on campus. The house was designed by the architect William Nichols , who planned the original campus of the university and the old Alabama's state capitol in Tuscaloosa. The building was completed in 1829, before the campus opened. The main facade, with the exception of the portico , reflects the continued influence of the Federal Style at the time . The house was originally used as a guest house for visitors and professors and as a dining room for students, but was converted into a faculty building in the late 1840s. It gets its current name after Josiah Gorgas , the seventh president of the University of Alabama. His poor health forced him to resign and the university board of directors made the house available to him as a retirement home. State law designated it as a memorial to his family in 1944. Today it is part of the museums of the University of Alabama.
Little Round House
This small octagonal building with the battlements originally served as the university guard house. It was completed in 1860 and illustrates the transformation of the university into a military campus. This change was carried out by law on February 23, 1860. As tensions between north and south increased, this move was suggested by Landon Garland , then president of the university. It is ironic that the Little Round House, of all places, despite its military appearance, is one of the few structures that remained when the Union troops burned the campus. When the university reopened in 1871, the building served as an office for a doctor. A few years later it was in a neglected condition and demolition was being considered. However, the university's board of directors decided to renovate the building and so it was converted into an archive building for records. In the 1930s it was known as Jason's Shrine because it was used by the Jasons, a men's honor society. In 1990 the building was converted into a memorial for all these honorary societies.
Woods Hall
Woods Hall was the first new building on the campus after the end of the Civil War. It was built from 1867 to 1868. The four-story brick building has a neo-Gothic archway on the ground floor, the side buildings are crenellated on the eaves and the upper floors are provided with cast-iron galleries in the middle part . Originally called " the barracks ", it was used as a student residence. A dining room and classroom were located on the ground floor. It remained a dormitory until 1961, when it was converted for use by the Department of Art and Art History.
The area between Woods Hall on one side and Woods, Clark and Manly Hall on the other is known as the Woods Quad and is the venue for the School of Liberal Arts graduation ceremonies.
Clark Hall
Clark Hall, built in 1884 in neo-Gothic style, was built on the site of the old Lyceum, which was destroyed during the Civil War. Clark Hall was originally a multi-purpose building with a library, reading rooms, chapel and a large meeting room, which was the university's largest public space. Around 1910 the building began to fall into disrepair and the brick walls threatened to collapse due to the weight of the heavy roof. The building was secured by inserting a steel frame inside so that it was preserved. It was renovated again in the 1980s. It is named after Willis G. Clark, a former board member of the university.
Clark Hall now houses most of the offices of the School of Liberal Arts, as well as a dance studio currently run by Cornelius Carter .
Manly Hall
Manly Hall is a three-and-a-half story red-brick neo-Gothic building. The appearance of the building is similar in design to Clark Hall; it was completed in 1885 and originally served as a dormitory. Today it houses the Department of Religious Studies, the Department of Women's Studies, offices of the English language departments and the offices of the literary magazine Black Warrior Review . The building bears the name of Basil Manly , the university's second president.
Garland Hall
The three-story Garland Hall is also a neo-Gothic structure. It was built in 1887 to house a dormitory and the original Alabama Museum of Natural History . It forms the counterpart to Manly Hall and now houses the Sarah Moody Gallery of Art.
Tuomey Hall
The two-story Tuomey Hall, now known as the Blount Undergraduate Initiative Tuomey Academic House, was completed in 1889. It served as the laboratory building for the Department of Chemistry and is named after Michael Tuomey, a geologist and professor.
Barnard Hall
The two-and-a-half story Barnard Hall, now known as Oliver-Barnard Hall, was also completed in 1889. Originally built to house a laboratory and exercise room, it now houses offices and classrooms for the College of Arts and Sciences. It was named after the scientist and professor, Frederick AP Barnard . In 2000, it was renamed Oliver-Barnard Hall in honor of Director Emeritus John T. Oliver Jr.
Individual evidence
- ↑ History of UA: Historical Timeline ( English ) In: University of Alabama . Retrieved February 2, 2011.
- ↑ a b Clark E. Center: The Burning of the University of Alabama Archived from the original on September 17, 2010. Information: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Alabama Heritage . Spring 1990, No. 16, 1990, pp. 30-45.
- ^ The Battle of Tuscaloosa ( English ) In: War of the Rebellion: the American Civil War . Archived from the original on September 30, 2010. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
- ↑ University of Alabama (UA) ( English ) In: Encyclopedia of Alabama . Retrieved February 2, 2011.
- ^ Alabama Historical Association Historic Markers: Tuscaloosa County ( English ) In: Alabama Historical Association . Alabama Department of Archives and History. October 16, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
- ^ Joel Campbell Du Bose: Sketches of Alabama history ( English ). Eldredge & Bro., 1901, p. 158.
- ↑ Entry in the National Register Information System . National Park Service , accessed April 20, 2016
- ↑ Robert O. Mellown: Variations on a Capitol plan . In: Alabama Heritage . Summer 2005, No. 77, 2005. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Robert Oliver Mellown: The University of Alabama: a guide to the campus . University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 1988.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Suzanne Rau Wolfe: The University of Alabama, a pictorial history . University of Alabama Press, University, Alabama 1983.
- ↑ United States Bureau of Education: Circular of information of the Bureau of Education, Volume 10 . United States Government Printing Office , 1889, p. 111.
- ↑ United States Bureau of Education: Circular of information of the Bureau of Education, Volume 10 . United States Government Printing Office , 1889, p. 110.
- ↑ Saffold Berney: Hand-book of Alabama: A complete index to the state, map with . Roberts & Son, 1892, p. 190.
- ^ Garland Hall. The University of Alabama, accessed January 5, 2014 .
