Gorgas-Manly Historic District
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Clark Hall, completed in 1884.
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Location | Part of the University of Alabama campus Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
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Coordinates | 33°12′44″N 87°32′45″W / 33.21222°N 87.54583°WCoordinates: 33°12′44″N 87°32′45″W / 33.21222°N 87.54583°W |
Area | 12 acres (4.9 ha) |
Built | 1829-88 |
Architect | Multiple |
Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival |
NRHP Reference # | 71000108 |
Added to NRHP | July 14, 1971 |
The Gorgas–Manly Historic District is a historic district that includes 12 acres (4.9 ha) and eight buildings on the campus of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The buildings represent the university campus as it existed from the establishment of the institution through to the late 19th century. Two buildings included in the district, Gorgas House and the Little Round House, are among only seven structures to have survived the burning of the campus by the Union Army, under the command of Brigadier General John T. Croxton, on April 4, 1865. The other survivors were the President's Mansion and the Old Observatory, plus a few faculty residences.
Woods Hall was the first building constructed following the American Civil War. The remaining five buildings, Clark, Manly, Garland, Tuomey and Barnard Halls, represent campus construction during the economic recovery that followed the end of the Reconstruction era.
The construction of Manly, Clark, Garland, and other buildings was financed by the sale of a large portion of 46,800 acres (189 km2) of land given by the United States Congress to the University as repayment "for the fiery ruin brought by Federal troops in 1865."
An example of the Greek Revival style, the Gorgas House was the first building built on the campus of the university. Designed by William Nichols, designer of the original campus and Tuscaloosa's Old Alabama State Capitol, it was completed in 1829, prior to the opening of the campus. The main facade, minus the portico, reflects the continuing influence of the Federal style. Initially used as a guest house for visitors and professors and as a dining hall for students, it was converted to use as a faculty residence in 1847. The house gained its current name from Josiah Gorgas, the seventh University of Alabama president. Ill health forced him to resign as president and the trustees gave him the house to retire to with his family. The Alabama legislature designated the house as a memorial to the Gorgas family in 1944 and today it is included among the University of Alabama Museums.