Once again there’s been a fire at the historic Gaines Hall on Atlanta’s Diamond Hill.
Gaines Hall, an icon of Black history in Atlanta and beyond, is one of the oldest and most significant buildings in the city.
Coverage of the latest incident says it appears the fire occurred primarily in the back portion of the structure rather than in the front, the most historic part of the building.
Still, preservationists are concerned about the lack of progress to restore Gaines Hall.
“This is the queen of Diamond Hill,” said Candy Tate, CEO of Culture Centers International. “It must be saved no matter what the cost.”
“This fire further exemplifies the challenges with stewardship,” said David Mitchell, executive director of the Atlanta Preservation Center. “It is another example of this city’s difficulty to invest in its historical identity. It is not fair to lay blame in a singular way. It is part of a much larger frustration. It really comes down to how does Atlanta see its future without its past.”
In an interview Friday morning, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens expressed concern, saying it is the third fire at Gaines Hall in three years. The mayor added that the fire chief also expressed his concerns about the building.
“We’re trying to preserve this history,” Dickens said. “But there’s demolition by neglect.”
Clark Atlanta University owns the property that houses Gaines Hall and the adjacent Furber Cottage, which also has been damaged by fire. The property is fenced off, but the gate was wide open Friday morning.
Here are a couple of videos taken the day after the latest Gaines Hall fire:
Interestingly enough, when Gaines Hall was first damaged by fire in 2015, it was owned by the City of Atlanta. Then-Mayor Kasim Reed vowed to restore the building, but only limited stabilization of the structure has happened in the past nine years.
Preservationists have been meeting with Clark Atlanta to urge the university to work on restoring the building.
CAU President George French said as recently as February that demolition of Gaines Hall “was not an option.” At the time, French said a structural engineering report had determined that the building could be restored. That report, however, has not been shared with the preservation community.
“I have asked repeatedly for the structural engineering report to no avail,” Mitchell said.
Wright Mitchell (no relation), president and CEO of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, said he was concerned the latest fire would impact the findings of that report.
David Mitchell is not giving up hope, though.
“Everything can be salvaged if it has a steward,” he said. “We find ourselves in this situation because of the absence of stewardship. It is one of the oldest structures in our city.”
Gaines Hall, built in 1869, was the first permanent structure of Atlanta University. It is where W.E. B. Du Bois lived when he was writing the seminal work “The Souls of Black Folk.”
Tate said it also is important to preserve Diamond Hill’s “King” building, Fountain Hall, as well as the pedestrian bridge that connects both historic buildings.
“It is the crown of Black history,” Tate said of Diamond Hill.
Dickens said the city has held conversations with Clark Atlanta’s leadership about the preservation of Gaines Hall. He added that his administration, including Invest Atlanta, is ready to help.
“We have offered them our support with incentives and various loans and things that we can do to help them revitalize or bring it back,” said Dickens, who added it might be possible to restore the façade of Gaines Hall and build a newer structure inside the walls. “We are standing ready to help with that.”
Clark Atlanta University officials did not respond to repeated requests for comment on Gaines Hall and the latest fire.
Editor’s Note: In the interest of full disclosure, Maria Saporta serves on Clark Atlanta University’s Board of Visitors.
Here are a few of the many articles SaportaReport has written about Gaines Hall since the first fire in 2015:
This is horrible and It seems rather suspicious. If CAU is serious (as they have professed) then maybe it is time to rethink their security system/campus police. Why is the site so accessible? Why aren’t there cameras monitored by campus police? If there are cameras why aren’t they monitored and officers dispatched as soon as intruders are observed?
This would be so simple to correct, if people in charge are serious about protecting this very important building.
I came here to say the same thing. There are established procedures for mothballing a building. Students could be hired to monitor cameras. There are so many low cost options, it does seem suspicious. Perhaps there needs to be some fining or some other enforcement to motivate those responsible.
No one gives a shit. Let it go.