FAMU has a received $495,000 from the Florida Department of State to begin renovations to the “Sunshine Manor” which served as the campus home to three FAMU presidents John Robert E. Lee, William H. Gray, and George W. Gore.
The home was constructed in 1935 and was considered a safe space where FAMU presidents would host renowned Black luminaries such as Marian Anderson, W.E.B. Du Bois and George Washington Carver when they traveled through the south during the height of Jim Crow.
“Sunshine Manor” is located next to the Meek-Eaton Black Archives and will serve as additional museum space.
Earlier this year, FAMU received a $150,000 grant from The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund to develop a campus-wide stewardship plan. The stated goal of that funding is to develop a preservation plans for buildings such as Sunshine Manor, the Carnegie Library, Gibbs Cottage and the former Lucy Moten Elementary School sites.
According to the announcement, the grant is designed to “empower HBCUs with resources to protect, preserve and leverage their historic campuses, building, and landscapes, ensuring these symbols of African American excellence and American achievement are preserved to inspire and educate future generations.”
Earlier this year, FAMU received a $150,000 grant from The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund to develop a campus-wide stewardship plan. The stated goal of that funding is to develop a preservation plans for buildings such as Sunshine Manor, the Carnegie Library, Gibbs Cottage and the former Lucy Moten Elementary School sites.
According to the announcement, the grant is designed to “empower HBCUs with resources to protect, preserve and leverage their historic campuses, building, and landscapes, ensuring these symbols of African American excellence and American achievement are preserved to inspire and educate future generations.”
The Meek-Eaton Black Archives Research Center and Museum, the School of Architecture and Engineering Technology and the physical plant will work together on the restoration. Darius Young, associate professor of history and interim director of the Meek-Eaton Center, will serve as principal investigator for the grant proposals.
You all didn't do ANYTHING to preserve President Perry's house on the corner of Perry and formerly Gamble Street and now it's occupied by them! I am livid about that! You didn't do anything to preserve historic buildings on campus and if we were SMART we'd buy up as much property around the campus. There are SEVERAL vacant houses on historic Barbourville Street, Young Street and many of the surrounding streets on campus...and guess who's moving into those houses and/or buying and selling the properties! Dr. Humprhies tried to warn you all and now they're even moving into houses owned many former professors and presidents. Those could've been or could be still be used as scholarship housing for honors/scholarship students, students with certain disabilities...I mean just a little common sense people. Embrace and save what we can before FAMU becomes FSU South campus! Gibbs Hall is next on the chopping block and I hear that Foote-Hilyer is in the works of being rented out to FSU employees or something of that nature. The old FAMU High is in the works to be torn down too. It would've been great to use for high school students from DRS that way they could have their own building and not have to share the tiny campus they are on with Elementary and Middle School Students...or it could be used for clubs and organizations since they have NO WHERE to practice and have meetings. I mean, why demolish historic buildings instead of gutting and restoring them! Why demo old dorms just to replace them with nothing or just to build another somewhere else on the campus. And why you're at it building another parking garage instead of gravel lots! The legislature and developers are gonna strong-arm FAMU right off the map and label it IN MEMORY OF FAMU! Smh
ReplyDeleteYou can be livid all you want, the home that you are referencing on the corner of Perry & Gamble is a private residence. Which was formerly owned by Dr. Perry and then his estate.
ReplyDeleteWe need to preserve FAMU's historic buildings, PERIOD! How in the hell can we call ourselves "historic" when we're destroying our history? ENOUGH!
ReplyDeleteThe Perry home was and isn’t a FAMU building!
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