- Collection:
- Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation Presentation Slide Collection, 1968-2000
- Title:
- Georgia Medical College
- Creator:
- Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation
- Contributor to Resource:
- Cluskey, C. B. (Charles Blaney), d. 1871
Dugas, L. A. (Louis Alexander), 1806-1884
Sand Hills Garden Club (Augusta, Ga.)
Garden Club of America - Date of Original:
- 1960/2000
- Subject:
- Architecture
Historic sites--Georgia--Richmond County
Historic buildings--Georgia--Richmond County
Commercial buildings--Georgia--Richmond County
Greek revival (Architecture)
Neoclassicism
Cultural property--Protection
Historic preservation--Georgia
Historic buildings--Conservation and restoration - Location:
- United States, Georgia Richmond County, Augusta, 33.47097, -81.97484
- Medium:
- color slides
historic preservation
historic buildings - Type:
- Still Image
- Format:
- image/jp2
- Description:
- In 1881 the Medical Bulletin of the College described the building as a "large and commodious structure with all the appointments of the first order, a valuable Anatomical Museum, a Library of 5,000 volumes, a convenient Dissecting Hall, and an extensive Physico-Chemical Laboratory." There was, at that time, a dean, eight professors, three demonstrators, and a janitor. Board near the College was $12 a month. By 1905 the College had been made a four-year school, and the faculty and student body had outgrown the building. In 1911 the Medical College was moved to its present site. Old Medical College is of national significance because of its impact on the medical instruction of physicians nationwide in the antebellum period and because its distinguished and well-trained faculty helped found the American Medical Association to regulate medical education standards. The old building was deeded back to the Trustees of Richmond Academy to be used by them as a technical building. When Richmond Academy was moved to Walton Way, its buildings were abandoned and stood vacant several years until leased by the Young Men's Library Association to be used as a library. The main Richmond Academy building, now the Museum, was used but the Medical College building remained vacant. Two historic additions include a large solarium built in 1897 at the rear and on the west, the City of Augusta's medicine dispensary constructed in 1869. Old Medical College served the school well into the Civil War period and beyond. It reverted to Richmond Academy in 1913 when the medical school moved its base to the Augusta Orphan Asylum building. Richmond Academy held classes in the Old Medical College from 1914 to 1926, after which the building stood vacant for five years. During the 1930s, it was used by civic and social organizations and housed a USO canteen during World War II. In 1931, Augusta's Sand Hills Garden Club began landscaping the grounds and took over the Old Medical College as a garden center, initiating the lengthy restoration process. Fundraising came from giving Georgia house and garden tours, balls, and camellia shows were given. Many Medical College friends and alumni donated to the cause, recognizing the necessity to preserve the old building and its heritage. In 1932 the National Convention of the Garden Club of America was held in this building. During World War II it was used by the U.S.O. Garden Club for meetings. From 1948 until the late 1980s, the building saw use by the Sand Hills Garden Club (who had already built a latticework brick fence in 1933), and maintained the landscaped grounds. In 1987, the building was acquired by the Medical College of Georgia Foundation, who restored it to its 19th-century appearance and upgraded it to meet modern building codes and standards. The Medical College of Georgia Foundation began renovations to the building in 1988 as a conference and events center. The restored Old Medical College is referred to as the finest expression of the Greek Revival in Georgia. The Old Medical College of Georgia, a National Historic Landmark, is located within the boundaries of the Augusta Downtown Historic District, and has been documented by the National Park Service's Historic American Buildings Survey. Variant names include: Georgia Medical College, Old Medical College Building, Augusta Garden Center. See ref# 72000398 (Old Medical College Building) https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/national-register-listed-20240710.xlsx
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/gthp_gthp-slides_466
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/gthp_gthp-slides_466#item
- IIIF manifest:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/gthp_gthp-slides_466/presentation/manifest.json
- Language:
- eng
- Additional Rights Information:
- Please contact holding institution for information regarding use and copyright status.
- Holding Institution:
- Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation
- Rights:
-
