Morehouse College

Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia

Morehouse College Campus Heritage Plan (PDF) 39.1MB

Morehouse College traces its beginnings to 1867, when the Augusta Institute was established in the basement of Springfield Baptist Church. In 1888, the College relocated to its present site, part of the Atlanta University Center. The original 14-acre campus, now a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places, was designed in the Beaux-Arts tradition with six historic buildings surrounding the college green. Getty support will allow Morehouse to conduct archival research to document their historic resources, examine overall conditions, and develop treatment guidelines for their historic buildings.

Morehouse College received a Getty grant in 2007 for $90,000 to support campus heritage planning.

Report Summary

Purpose: Getty Foundation support helped Morehouse College to conduct archival research of historic resources about its campus quadrangle, examine overall conditions, and develop treatment guidelines and standards for the college's historic buildings and sites on campus.

Historic Designation(s): Atlanta University Center District (several contributing buildings, National Register of Historic Places).

Morehouse College traces its beginnings to 1867, when the Augusta Institute was established in the basement of Springfield Baptist Church. The college was moved to Atlanta in 1879 and again in 1888—to the present 61-acre site, part of the Atlanta University Center. The present site is a Civil War defensive position, and was donated by John D. Rockefeller. Several buildings were designed by architect Edward Charles Miller. President John Hope, the college’s first African-American leader, and steered the school toward rigorous academics and away from the vocational focus of Booker T. Washington.

Planning Process Used:

• Evolution of campus and buildings was researched through historic photos and documents
• Field inspections were conducted to assess landscape conditions
• Magahey Engineering Group assessed surface water drainage
• The history of the 6 specified buildings was assessed, applying Department of Interior standards including National Register of Historic Places criteria for significance. Five of the 6 buildings have been renovated since 1990.
• Character defining features were identified and their conditions assessed
• Recommendations include
  • Preservation and rehabilitation of specified buildings; plus
  • Consolidation and protection of archival materials

Outcomes: Products

• Digitized site and building plans
• Demolition plans in the form of building layouts
• Tabular comparison between preservation- and rehabilitation-focused treatment
• Recommended treatments for architectural features and systems
• Recommendations/guidelines for relocation of archival materials currently in operational offices
• Bibliography

Unique Features

• Illustrated discussion of Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps as a resource for historical architecture
• Guidelines for mitigating adverse effects during demolition
• History and context of American Baptist Home Missionary Society