Alabama State University Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Alabama State University Historic District is a 26 acres (10.5 ha) historic district
at the heart of the Alabama State University
campus in Montgomery, Alabama
. It contains eighteen contributing buildings
, many of them in the Colonial Revival
style, and one site. The district was placed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage
on August 25, 1994 and the National Register of Historic Places
on October 8, 1998.
s in Marion, Alabama
. This school, the Lincoln Normal School
, was the direct predecessor for the State Normal School and University for the Education of Colored Teachers and Students, established in 1873 by the Alabama Legislature
. In 1887 the school moved to Montgomery, renamed the Alabama Colored Peoples University. Classes were initially held at Beulah Baptist Church. The name was changed to State Normal School of Colored Students in 1889, following legal wrangling regarding state funding.
Land for a permanent campus at the current location was purchased in 1889, with the first permanent building, the wood-frame Tullibody Hall, erected in 1890. This Tullibody Hall burned in 1904 and was rebuilt in brick in 1906. Following the death of the first president, William Paterson, in 1915, the school became organized as a four-year teacher training high school
and junior college
. In the 1920s additional land was purchased and the state appropriated $50,000 for the construction of dormitories
and dining facilities. The school became a full four-year institution
in 1928, had a name change to State Teachers College in 1929, and conferred its first bachelor's degree
in teacher education in 1931. The majority of buildings within the historic district date from this mid-20th century period, 1916 through 1945. The name of the university changed several more times over the next few decades: to Alabama State College for Negroes in 1948, Alabama State College in 1954, and in 1969 assumed the current title of Alabama State University.
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
at the heart of the Alabama State University
Alabama State University
Alabama State University, founded 1867, is a historically black university located in Montgomery, Alabama. ASU is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund.- History :...
campus in Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
. It contains eighteen contributing buildings
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
, many of them in the Colonial Revival
Colonial Revival architecture
The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own...
style, and one site. The district was placed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage
Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage
The Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage, commonly referred to as the Alabama Register, is an official listing of buildings, sites, structures, objects, and districts deemed worthy of preservation in the U.S. state of Alabama. These properties, which may be of national, state, and local...
on August 25, 1994 and the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on October 8, 1998.
History
Alabama State University traces its beginnings to 1867, when former slaves Joey Pinch, Thomas Speed, Nickolas Dale, James Childs, Thomas Lee, John Freeman, Nathan Levert, David Harris, and Alexander H. Curtis founded a school for African AmericanAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s in Marion, Alabama
Marion, Alabama
Marion is the county seat of Perry County, Alabama. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 3,511. First called Muckle Ridge, the city was renamed after a hero of the American Revolution, Francis Marion.-Geography:...
. This school, the Lincoln Normal School
Lincoln Normal School
The Lincoln Normal School, also known as the Lincoln School was a historic African American school in Marion, Alabama. Its roots went back to a Union soldier who remained in Marion after the end of the Civil War to teach newly freed African Americans...
, was the direct predecessor for the State Normal School and University for the Education of Colored Teachers and Students, established in 1873 by the Alabama Legislature
Alabama Legislature
The Alabama Legislature is the legislative branch of the state government of Alabama. It is a bicameral body composed of the Alabama House of Representatives, with 105 members, and the Alabama Senate, with 35 members...
. In 1887 the school moved to Montgomery, renamed the Alabama Colored Peoples University. Classes were initially held at Beulah Baptist Church. The name was changed to State Normal School of Colored Students in 1889, following legal wrangling regarding state funding.
Land for a permanent campus at the current location was purchased in 1889, with the first permanent building, the wood-frame Tullibody Hall, erected in 1890. This Tullibody Hall burned in 1904 and was rebuilt in brick in 1906. Following the death of the first president, William Paterson, in 1915, the school became organized as a four-year teacher training high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
and junior college
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
. In the 1920s additional land was purchased and the state appropriated $50,000 for the construction of dormitories
Dormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
and dining facilities. The school became a full four-year institution
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in 1928, had a name change to State Teachers College in 1929, and conferred its first bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in teacher education in 1931. The majority of buildings within the historic district date from this mid-20th century period, 1916 through 1945. The name of the university changed several more times over the next few decades: to Alabama State College for Negroes in 1948, Alabama State College in 1954, and in 1969 assumed the current title of Alabama State University.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Montgomery County, Alabama
- Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in Montgomery County, Alabama