Confederate Memorial Hall, Vanderbilt University
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Confederate Memorial Hall | |
 Confederate Memorial Hall in 2007 | |
| Location | 2205 West End Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
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| Built | 1935 |
| Architect | Henry C. Hibbs |
| NRHP Reference # | 11000418[1] |
| Added to NRHP | July 6, 2011[1] |
Confederate Memorial Hall, later known as Alumni Memorial Hall despite bearing the old name on its facade, is a historic building on the Peabody College campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Built in 1935 as a dormitory hall for female descendants of veterans of the Confederate States Army, its name has resulted in multiple lawsuits and student unrest.
History
The building was completed in 1935.[2] It was designed by architect Henry C. Hibbs.[1] Its construction was supported by a US$50,000 donation from the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1933.[3][4] It was used as a residential building, where female students who descended from Confederate veterans and intended to study for a teaching career were selected by the UDC to live free of charge.[2][3]
The building was acquired by Vanderbilt University when it acquired Peabody College in 1979.[4] By 1988, students held protests on campus, suggesting the name was offensive to black students.[2] As a result, the university added a memorial plaque near the building to contextualize the origin of the name.[2][4]
When Gordon Gee became Chancellor in 2002, he tried to change the name of the building.[3] However, the United Daughters of the Confederacy sued the university in the Davidson County Chancery Court.[3][5] The case went to the Tennessee Supreme Court, and Judge William C. Koch, Jr. sided with the UDC.[3] By 2005, Judge William B. Cain of the Tennessee Court of Appeals concluded that the word "Confederate" was not about slavery, but about the fallen soldiers of the Confederate States Army, who defended their land against Northern invaders.[4][6] When he suggested Vanderbilt University would have to repay the US$50,000 donation adjusted to inflation, the university dropped the lawsuit.[4] However, the university uses the name "Alumni Memorial Hall" or "Alumni Hall" in their publications.[4]
In November 2015, students asked Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos to change the name on the building, arguing "Vanderbilt refuses to pay $1 million to the Daughters of the Confederacy to divorce this university from its "racist" past but raised $10 million to renovate campus baseball facilities".[7]
Architectural significance
The building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since July 6, 2011.[1]
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Confederate Memorial Hall, Vanderbilt University. |
- 1 2 3 4 "Alumni Memorial Hall, Vanderbilt University". National Park Service. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 "Ranking America's Leading Liberal Art Colleges on Their Success in Integrating African Americans". The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education (8): 86. Winter 2002. Retrieved November 21, 2015 – via JSTOR. (registration required (help)).
- 1 2 3 4 5 Brophy, Alfred L. (Fall 2006). "CONFEDERATE MEMORY AND MONUMENTS: OF JUDICIAL OPINIONS, STATUTES AND BUILDINGS". Journal of International Affairs 60 (1): 134–136. Retrieved November 21, 2015 – via JSTOR. (registration required (help)).
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jaschik, Scott (May 5, 2005). "Confederates Defeat Vanderbilt: Appeals court says university must pay -- if it wants to change controversial name of a dormitory.". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
- ↑ "Vanderbilt Sued Over Hall's Name Change". The Washington Post. October 18, 2002. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
- ↑ Brophy, Alfred L. (2006). Reparations : Pro and Con. New York City: Oxford University Press. p. 15. ISBN 019530408X. OCLC 62755581.
- ↑ Woods, Jeff (November 17, 2015). "Vandy's Black Students Put Zeppos On the Spot". Nashville Scene. Retrieved November 21, 2015.