Estey Hall | |
 Estey Hall | |
   | |
| Location | Raleigh, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 35°46′16.9″N78°38′14.03″W / 35.771361°N 78.6372306°W /35.771361; -78.6372306 |
| Built | 1873 |
| Architect | G. S. H. Appleget |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001373[1] |
| Added to NRHP | May 25, 1973 |
Estey Hall is a historic building on the campus ofShaw University inRaleigh,North Carolina. It was the first building constructed for thehigher education ofAfrican-American women in theUnited States. Built in 1873, Estey Hall is the oldest surviving building at Shaw, which is the oldesthistorically black college in theSouth and was the second institution of higher learning established forfreedmen after theCivil War. The building, originally known as "Estey Seminary," was named in honor ofJacob Estey,[2] the largest donor to the construction project. Estey Hall, located in theEast Raleigh-South Park Historic District, was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1973 and is a Raleigh Historic Landmark.
Henry Martin Tupper, aUnion Army chaplain andBaptist missionary, founded the school in 1865 for the education of former slaves. Students and faculty originally met in a hotel room due to the lack of funding for land and buildings. In 1870, the school received a donation fromphilanthropist Elijah J. Shaw, and with the money the school was able to purchase land nearFayetteville Street. The school waschartered in 1875 by theNorth Carolina General Assembly and given the official title of Shaw University. By educating young people, the school assisted in the rise of theblack middle class that arose in late 19th century Raleigh. Shaw University educated many of the region's black politicians and business leaders, such asM.T. Pope.[3][4]
When Shaw first opened, women were not allowed to attend the school. After a few years the school becamecoeducational, creating a need for a women's facility. School administrators choseGeorge S. H. Appleget, architect of large homes in Raleigh including theHeck-Andrews House, to design the new building. The result was a four-story brick building with a cross-gable roof topped off with a framecupola. In 1882, the three-story south annex was added. Estey Hall contained thehome economics, music, art, and religion classes.
Shaw students attended classes at Estey Hall until 1970. Deterioration had taken a toll on the building, forcing its closure after 97 years of service. Plans were made to tear down the building. The Estey Hall Foundation was then founded to halt demolition and restore the building to its original appearance.[5]
