National Historic Landmark

Stone Hall, Atlanta University

Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia
Listed
December 2, 1974
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
74000680

About this property

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. It is now named after Bishop William A. Fountain. 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. The building was designed by the Swedish-American architect G. L. Norrman in the High Victorian Gothic style. Fountain Hall, originally known as Stone Hall, was constructed in 1882 and until 1929 served as the main building for Atlanta University. From 1897 to 1910, Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois, then a member of the faculty of Atlanta University, had his office located in the building. In 1929–30, Atlanta University began offering graduate education exclusively in various liberal arts areas, and in the social and natural forensics and ceased undergraduate education. As Atlanta University had moved to its new campus, Stone Hall was in 1929 deeded to Morris Brown College, which renamed it first to Fairchild Hall and then Fountain Hall. 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." In July 2019, the National Park Service awarded the college $500,000 to help restore the building. List of National Historic Landmarks in Georgia (U.S. state) National Register of Historic Places listings in Fulton County, Georgia "Friends of Fountain Capital Campaign". Fountain Hall. Retrieved May 22, 2020. Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. GA-1172, "Atlanta University, Stone Hall, Morris Brown College Campus, Atlanta, Fulton County, GA", 11 photos, 2 color transparencies, 2 data pages, 2 photo caption pages, supplemental material

Location

Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia
33.75437, -84.40871

Categories

BLACKEDUCATION
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Atlanta University Center District
Listed
0.1 mi
Herndon Home
Industrial
0.3 mi
63 Magnum Street Industrial Building
Industrial
0.5 mi
Brazeal, Dr. Brailsford R., House
Industrial
0.6 mi
Castleberry Hill Historic District
Listed
0.6 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Atlanta (Bald Hill / Battle of July 22)
1864Civil War
0.6 mi
Atlanta Siege Operations
1864Civil War
1.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Stone Hall, Atlanta University listed on the National Register?

Stone Hall, Atlanta University was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 2, 1974.

What type of historic resource is Stone Hall, Atlanta University?

Stone Hall, Atlanta University is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is Stone Hall, Atlanta University a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. Stone Hall, Atlanta University has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for Stone Hall, Atlanta University?

The period of significance for Stone Hall, Atlanta University is recorded as the industrial era.

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