Author Topic: 5 Lost Colleges & Universities of the Inner City  (Read 3198 times)

Metro Jacksonville

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5 Lost Colleges & Universities of the Inner City
« on: October 22, 2015, 03:00:02 AM »
5 Lost Colleges & Universities of the Inner City



Many would like to see an urban university grow up in the heart of the city. Here's five schools that got away.

Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2015-oct-5-lost-colleges-universities-of-the-inner-city

Tacachale

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Re: 5 Lost Colleges & Universities of the Inner City
« Reply #1 on: October 22, 2015, 07:53:32 PM »
Very cool article. I think there are a few mistakes, though.

Florida Baptist Academy wasn't much of a college in the modern sense before 1918, when it moved to St. Augustine and became the Florida Normal and Industrial Institute. It did have normal (teacher's school) and industrial departments but it was mostly a boarding high school. Zora Neale Hurston was 13 when she started attending in 1904, for instance. It is much more commonly called "Florida Baptist Academy" than "Florida Baptist College", both now and during that time:

https://books.google.com/books?id=EU3PAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA49&dq=%22Florida+Baptist+Academy%22+degrees&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAmoVChMItsS6oZ3XyAIVRaceCh3ykAwP#v=onepage&q=%22Florida%20Baptist%20Academy%22%20degrees&f=false

Additionally, while J. Rosamond Johnson worked at Florida Baptist, his brother James Weldon Johnson did not, though he was known to come by and help out. In 1900, James Weldon Johnson was principal of Stanton, which had expanded into a full high school under his leadership (he was also a lawyer and burgeoning poet).

According to James Weldon, the brothers wrote the famous song "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" at the family house in LaVilla. However, it's possible the song was first sung at Florida Baptist. It was performed by a chorus of 500 school children at a Lincoln's Birthday celebration on February 12, 1900, but the exact location isn't known. If it wasn't at Florida Baptist or Stanton, it could have been at a local church or public park.
Do you believe that when the blue jay or another bird sings and the body is trembling, that is a signal that people are coming or something important is about to happen?

spuwho

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Re: 5 Lost Colleges & Universities of the Inner City
« Reply #2 on: October 23, 2015, 08:33:52 AM »
As a proponent of Jacksonville having a urban university, i appreciate this article.

Some people may ask, why did they all leave?

Many left either to get more space cheaply outside the urban core, or they went where the money was.

No doubt that the growing ownership of autos after 1910 had an impact.

I have done similar research on the same subject in the city of Chicago. Why do some stay in the city (DePaul, Loyola) and why do some move (Northwestern).

Also the migration of religious entities out of the core was common in this era across many cities.

Some for growth, some to get away from persecution, some for racial reasons. While brief, the use of buses to support ministries was a big factor in the growth of the first mega-churches across the US in the late sixties to the late 70's. Today, bus ministries are uncommon.

There are hundreds of niche Catholic orders throughout Chicagoland that all started in the urban core in the 1800's, bought land in the then exurbs only to be surrounded as the suburbs grew to them. Its an interesting subject.

thelakelander

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Re: 5 Lost Colleges & Universities of the Inner City
« Reply #3 on: October 23, 2015, 10:21:46 AM »
In the case of the Florida Baptist Academy, the St. Augustine Chamber of Commerce wooed them to relocate from Jacksonville in 1917. My guess is they needed space to expand and St. Augustine made them an offer they could not refuse. While FBA's original site was not impacted by the Great Fire of 1901, both EWC's and Cookman's original locations were destroyed. As a response, both relocated to larger sites "away from the city". Within a decade or two, the city had grown up and around both of those sites.

Here's a link that details the development of the former FBA St. Augustine campus:

http://www.sjcfl.us/Environmental/media/ALLewisArchSurvey.pdf

Unfortunately, the last standing structure they were trying to preserve has since been demolished.
« Last Edit: October 23, 2015, 10:26:57 AM by thelakelander »
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Tacachale

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Re: 5 Lost Colleges & Universities of the Inner City
« Reply #4 on: October 23, 2015, 01:35:05 PM »
In the case of the Florida Baptist Academy, the St. Augustine Chamber of Commerce wooed them to relocate from Jacksonville in 1917. My guess is they needed space to expand and St. Augustine made them an offer they could not refuse. While FBA's original site was not impacted by the Great Fire of 1901, both EWC's and Cookman's original locations were destroyed. As a response, both relocated to larger sites "away from the city". Within a decade or two, the city had grown up and around both of those sites.

Here's a link that details the development of the former FBA St. Augustine campus:

http://www.sjcfl.us/Environmental/media/ALLewisArchSurvey.pdf

Unfortunately, the last standing structure they were trying to preserve has since been demolished.

Yes, my understanding is that Florida Baptist Academy was looking to expand its teaching and industrial departments (hence the name change to Florida Normal and Industrial Institute) and needed a lot more space. St. Augustine and the county worked with them to move to the old plantation land.
Do you believe that when the blue jay or another bird sings and the body is trembling, that is a signal that people are coming or something important is about to happen?