B08_Att__J-04_TUIN_Carver_Museum_HSR_Final.pdf

National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site Alabama

George Washington Carver Museum

Historic Structure Report

Cultural Resources, Partnerships and Science Division

Southeast Region

George Washington Carver Museum Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site

Alabama

Historic Structure Report

Prepared by:

Panamerican Consultants, Inc.

2390 Clinton Street Buffalo, New York 14227

Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.

330 Pfingsten Road Northbrook, Illinois 60062

WFT Architects, PA 770 North State Street Jackson, Mississippi 39202

Prepared for:

National Park Service Southeast Regional Office 100 Alabama Street SW Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Southeast Regional Office National Park Service 100 Alabama Street, SW Atlanta, Georgia 30303

(404) 507-5787

About the front cover: The George Washington Carver Museum, looking north, December 2016

This manuscript has been authored by Panamerican Consultants, Inc., with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., and WFT Architects, PA, under Contract Number P16PC00097 with the National Park Service. The United States Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes.

George Washington Carver Museum Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site

Alabama

Historic Structure Report

National Park Service v

Contents

List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................................ vii Project Team ............................................................................................................................................................ xiii Foreword ................................................................................................................................................................... xv

Management Summary

Historical Data Treatment and Use Administrative Data Project Scope and Methodology

Developmental History

Historical Background and Context Early History of the City of Tuskegee Establishment of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (1881-1895) Late Booker T. Washington Era and the Influence of Robert Taylor (1898-1915) Robert Moton and Frederick D. Patterson Eras and the influence of David Williston (1916-1952) Luther Foster Era and the Influence of Edward Pryce (1953-1980) Benjamin F. Payton and Current Eras (1981-Present)

Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) George Washington Carver George Washington Carver Museum (LCS #091221)

History of the George Washington Carver Museum Documentation History of the George Washington Carver Museum History of Physical Changes to the George Washington Carver Museum

Timeline for the George Washington Carver Museum

Physical Description and Condition Assessment

Site Exterior

Description Condition Assessment

Interior Description Condition Assessment

Structural Systems Description Condition Assessment

Mechanical, Electrical Systems

Significance and Integrity

*National Register of Historic Places Significance Criteria

National Register Status of the George Washington Carver Museum Period of Significance

Character-Defining Features Assessment of Integrity vi Historic Structure Report: George Washington Carver Museum, Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site

Treatment and Use

Requirements for Treatment and Use Laws, Regulations, and Functional Requirements

Alternates for Treatment and Use Ultimate Treatment and Use

Guidelines for Treatment Recommendations

Exterior Structural Systems Interior Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, and Fire Protection Systems Recommendations for Further Research Resiliency to Natural Hazard

Bibliography

Appendices

Appendix A: Measured Drawings

National Park Service vii

List of Figures

Management Summary

1 Map of Alabama showing location of Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site

2 Tuskegee Institute map showing the George Washington Carver Museum

Developmental History

3 Booker T. Washington

4 An 1886 advertisement for Tuskegee Normal School featuring Alabama Hall

5 Students digging the foundation for the C.P. Huntington Memorial Building

6 Roof construction of building by Tuskegee students in 1902

7 Review stand at Tuskegee Institute’s twenty-fifth anniversary celebration in 1906

8 Tuskegee Institute faculty with Andrew Carnegie during the twenty-fifth anniversary celebration

9 Dr. Robert Russa Moton (President, 1915–1935)

10 Dr. Frederick Douglass Patterson (President, 1935–1953)

11 Dr. Luther Foster (President, 1953–1981)

12 Dr. Benjamin F. Payton (President, 1981–2010)

13 Booker T. Washington

14 Booker T. Washington and his sons

15 George Washington Carver, circa 1900

16 George Washington Carver, circa 1900. center, bottom row, with staff, Tuskegee Institute. Note the flower in Carver’s lapel; this is an affectation he adopted at Iowa State University and carried with him for the rest of his life

17 George Washington Carver, sixth from left, note the large flower in his lapel, standing with students examining mustard plants in an outdoor, hands-on class at Tuskegee Institute

18 Entrance of the George Washington Carver Museum in 1981

19 Robert Robinson Taylor

20 The George Washington Carver Museum still smolders late in the morning of November 24, 1947, as staff and onlookers survey the damage

21 The interior of the Carver Museum was severely damaged by the fire, although some portions of Carver’s private papers were saved

22. Exhibits that were part of the Tuskegee Institute collection on display in the George Washington Carver Museum, circa 1950

23 Historic American Building Survey (HABS) east and west elevations, Carver Museum

24 New George Washington Carver main floor interior before the exhibits were set, circa 1948

25 Front (south) facade of the George Washington Carver Museum before major renovation and restoration in 1979

Physical Description and Condition Assessment

26 The George Washington Carver Museum, looking north toward the entrance

27 The site taken close to University Road, looking northwest

28 Typical bay (although non-original window) located on the north and south elevations

29 The west elevation, looking northeast

30 The north elevation, looking southeast viii Historic Structure Report: George Washington Carver Museum, Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site

31 The basement addition, looking southeast toward the north and west elevations

32 The east elevation, looking northwest

33 Typical brick wall on the main structure

34 Pilaster meeting the entablature and cornice

35 Detail of existing column base and footing, from 1948 restoration plans

36 Section through wall, from 1948 restoration plans

37 Section through retaining wall, from 1948 restoration plans

38 Section through foundation footing, from 1948 restoration plans

39 The main entrance portico, looking northeast

40 The interior of the main portico on the south elevation, from the west entrance, looking east

41 The low walls and staircase of the east elevation, looking south

42 The terrace wall, looking west at the southern portion of the east elevation

43 The small door and cheek wall, looking southwest, on the east elevation

44 Typical window on the north and south elevations of the first floor

45 Modified window unit on the west elevation

46 A window on the north elevation with a typical basement level brick header detail

47 The fifth window type on the structure, located on the north elevation at the basement level

48 Fixed window on the east elevation of the basement addition

49 The window on the north elevation of the basement addition

50 Pediment window on the south elevation of the main entrance portico

51 A typical entrance door that specifically acts as the main entrance, on the south elevation

52 Semicircular brick arch opening door located on the west elevation

53 The door used to access the crawl space on the east elevation

54 Interior view of the crawl space access door, highlighting the safety glass

55 The door used to access the basement addition from the west elevation

56 The door that provides access to the roof of the basement addition on the north elevation

57 The basement-level entry door on the north elevation

58 A small opening used to access the crawl space from the north elevation

59 The roof on the southern portico and main structure, looking northeast

60 The south chimney stack and roof vent dormer, looking northwest

61 The roof of the basement addition, looking northeast

62 Step cracking at semicircular arched opening. Note that the joints have replacement mortar

63 Displaced masonry at arched opening

64 Typical step cracking at the main building adjacent to window and door openings

65 Step cracking and open joints at north addition

66 Area of cracking. Note white-colored replacement mortar

67 Step cracking at east elevations of terrace wall

68 Step cracking at north elevations of terrace wall

69 Bowing at brick units adjacent to a window opening on the north addition

70 Open and deteriorated mortar joints at the field of wall

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71 Different colors of mortar from various mortar repointing campaigns were observed throughout the building

72 Different colors of mortar from various mortar repointing campaigns were observed throughout the building

73 Different colors of mortar from various mortar repointing campaigns were observed throughout the building

74 Efflorescence under planter units at south portico

75 Efflorescence at retaining walls is located primarily below the coping

76 Efflorescence at underside of arched openings

77 Efflorescence extends horizontally across the top of the wall at the north addition

78 Scupper box at north addition. Note moisture staining and biologic growth below scupper

79 Spalled brick at main portion of building is typically located at corners and along edges

80 Face spalls of brick are located at the north addition

81 Biological growth at retaining wall coping

82 Biological growth at cheek walls

83 Biological growth at mortar joints

84 Crazing and microcracks at bottom course of brick at terrace balustrade

85 Hole in masonry wall

86 Missing brick in field of wall

87 Abandoned anchors in field of wall

88 Cracked and spalled concrete stair tread

89 Spalled concrete lintel at north addition entrance

90 Cracking and previous repair of concrete slab at south portico entrance

91 Cracks and deteriorated concrete at base of east stair landing and drainage gutter

92 Crack and displacement at concrete window sill

93 Peeling paint at concrete window sills

94 Cracking at cementitious parge coating at east retaining wall

95 Deteriorated wood at soffit boards

96 Displaced wood boards at soffit

97 Checked and split boards at lower cornice

98 Biological growth at wood ceiling boards in south entrance portico

99 Corroded steel and open joints at window lintels

100 Deteriorated wood at window frames

101 Deteriorated and missing window glazing

102 Spalled and cracked cementitious fill material at window opening

103 Peeling paint at exterior door

104 Peeling paint at door framing

105 Biological growth at underside of lintel

106 Evidence of previous dutchman repair at door frame

107 Overflow of water at clogged downspout

108 Ponding water at north addition roof

109 The concrete at the south portico appeared wet and does not provide drainage x Historic Structure Report: George Washington Carver Museum, Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site

110 Infilled scupper opening

111 Mud dauber nest at window opening

112 Historic view exhibit at northeast corner of the museum, circa 1940

113 Historic view of central south portion of museum space with paintings beyond, circa 1940

114 Floor plan illustrating existing condition in 1979. Carver’s lab and office indicated

115 Historic view of the interior of Carver’s laboratory at the northeast corner. The greenhouse can be seen through the window beyond

116 Historic view of Carver working in the greenhouse

117 An early drawing of the museum indicating a greenhouse on the addition roof

118 Overall view of the museum space along the central axis, looking west

119 Overall view of exhibit at northeast corner of the museum

120 Current condition at the northeast corner. Chimney and windows remain as seen in the historic laboratory photograph

121 Overall view of upper floor museum. The east entrance at the front portico is seen beyond the gift shop .. 95

122 Overall view of upper floor museum along north wall at gift shop and reception desk

123 Typical wall base with exhibits

124 Typical wall baseboard and door plinth block

125 Narrow wall base and pipe penetration

126 Overall view of upper floor museum along north wall, looking east

127 Overall view of upper floor museum along north wall, looking west

128 Typical horizontal rail at hopper transom

129 Typical vertical mullion at joined window unit

130 Typical window head and boxed beam

131 Window sill above return air chase at east wall

132 Typical lower rail of sash, sash lift and stool. The coped end of the stool is typical of the upper floor windows, remaining from the 1947-1980 period when the walls had a wood wainscot

133 Overall view of upper floor museum along south wall at west exit

134 Arched transom with fanned muntins at the exit doors on east facade

135 Paired door and arched transom at east entry on south facade. No panic hardware is provided at this door

136 Egress door with arched transom at west elevation

137 Overall view at lower level central hall, looking west

138 Typical doors and finishes at lower level. Flush steel door (left) dates to 2012. Flush wood door (right) is typical of the 1979–1981 rehabilitation

139 Windows with blacked-out lights at assembly room

140 Typical window unit at lower level

141 Typical sealant at meeting rail sash and counterweight kerf

142 Central corridor, looking east past 2012 stair

143 The NPS office / west gallery space

144 Overall view at the NPS west gallery

145 Exhibit space east of stair

146 Central room at office suite, originally indicated as delivery storage

147 Furniture and floor coating at office

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148 Single, fixed sash, window at lower level office

149 Overall view of assembly room, looking east

150 Overall view of assembly room looking north

151 Exhibits at west side of assembly room. The interior window communicates with the office workroom beyond

152 Rear hall at restrooms

153 North termination of corridor and the low door leading to the single-story addition

154 Exit door at the lower floor level

155 Typical restroom finishes and grab bar

156 The stair leading to the single-story addition

157 The north wall of the single-story addition, at the west room

158 Transom at exterior door unit

159 The north wall of the single-story addition, at the east room

160 The east exterior wall of the single-story addition

161 Detail of termination of gypsum board removal at window return and sill

162 Elevator control unit

163 Attic framing at ridge

164 Overall view in attic

165 Ceiling framing at typical truss

166 Blistering paint and plaster at south entry

167 Blistering paint and plaster below window

168 Delamination of finish plaster coat at exterior wall

169 Delamination of finish plaster coat at exterior wall

170 Blistering of plaster and paint and debonding of sealant at crown molding

171 Crack in plaster at truss bearing

172 Crack in plaster extending from window head to ceiling above

173 Opening of joint between plaster and wood trim, blistering of paint, and swelling at trim

174 Blistering of plaster and paint and debonding of rubber base

175 Blistering of plaster and paint and debonding of rubber base

176 Blistering of plaster and paint at exterior wall of restroom

177 Blistering paint and plaster at exterior wall and window jamb return

178 Blistering paint at plaster on masonry wall adjoining the single-story addition

179 Mold and mildew on gypsum return at head of window, single-story addition

180 Delamination of paint at vertical mullion

181 Moisture damage at horizontal mullion trim

182 Moisture damage at horizontal mullion trim

183 Delamination of paint at interior of lower sash rail. Typical bulb weatherstrip indicated

184 Delamination of paint at bottom rail of hopper sash at transom

185 Delamination of paint and possible moisture damage to sill frame members at fixed sash window

186 Blistering and delamination of paint at interior face of door panels

187 Severe moisture damage at paired doors of single-story addition xii Historic Structure Report: George Washington Carver Museum, Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site

188 Moisture damage to sidelight frame at single-story addition

189 CMU infill at masonry wall terminates below deck at mechanical crawlspace boiler room. Partition does not provide fire seal at deck and penetrations

190 CMU infill at top of masonry wall terminated at underside of bar joists. Rated ceiling assembly system is not properly terminated at wall or duct penetration

191 Brick masonry infill parallel to joists terminated at deck. No firecaulk or air seal was evident at top of wall

192 Termination of gypsum board partition at underside of bar joist in chair storage closet. No gypsum ceiling installed at this room

193 Deck patch supported by plywood. Combustible materials not allowed in plenum return

194 Duct penetration of floor assembly sealed with expansive foam sealant. If chase is not constructed as a fire-rated partition, the floor penetration should be firestopped

195 Open junction box at northeast chimney

196 Hot water hydronic pipe and controls

197 Detail of the first floor construction from 1948 restoration plans

198 A bar joist bearing on masonry foundation walls

199 View of supplemental concrete foundation brace slab

200 A supplemental steel column in the basement that supports the decking above

201 A Howe truss and surrounding roof structure in the attic. Note the purlin positioning (arrows)

202 Water staining was observed on wood framing members in the attic

203 Areas of damaged plank decking were observed

204 Example of previous fire damage observed in the attic

205 Example of previous fire damage and water staining observed in the attic

206 Primary HVAC units in mechanical room. The elevated unit serves the lower level

207 Access panel to furred chase enclosing supply ductwork

208 Ductwork serving the upper floor. Refrigerant lines penetrate the enclosure between the ducts

209 Ductwork serving the lower floor located in south crawl space

210 Exterior condensing units serving the three split dX system. The newer unit is obscured by plantings

211 Boiler in south crawl space (center). Fresh air intake duct at upper left

212 Vent and horizontal flue at boiler room

213 Electrical subpanel at mechanical room

214 Electrical switchgear, transformer, and generator at east lawn

215 Electrical primary entrance to building at lower level exit door

216 Self-contained electric drinking fountain at lower level

217 Sump pump at crawl space

218 Sprinkler pipe riser to attic

219 Telephone and data backboards at single story addition space area under renovation

National Park Service xiii

Project Team

National Park Service – Southeast Regional Office

Celinda Hicks, Contracting Officer Jessica Kelly, Historical Architect and Contracting Officer’s Representative Paul Hatchett, Historical Architect and Contracting Officer’s Representative (former)

National Park Service – Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site

Raquel Krieger, Acting Superintendent Robyn Harris, Museum Specialist Shirley Baxter, Park Ranger Anthony Bates, Acting Chief of Interpretation

Panamerican Consultants, Inc.

Kelly Nolte, Project Manager / Historian Christine Longiaru, Architectural Historian Mark Steinback, Editor

Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.

Deborah Slaton, Historian / Conservator Mike Ford, Historical Architect Tim Crowe, Historical Structural Engineer Michael Horst, Structural Engineer Tim Penich, Historical Architect

WFT Architects, PA

Wayne F. Timmer, Historical Architect Wes Harp, Historical Architect xiv Historic Structure Report: George Washington Carver Museum, Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site

National Park Service xv

Foreword

We are pleased to make available this Historic Structure Report, part of our ongoing effort to provide comprehensive documentation for the historic structures and cultural landscapes of National Park Service units in the Southeast Region. A number of individuals contributed to the successful completion of this work;

but we would particularly like to thank the Project Team who authored the report. The authors would like to thank the staff at the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site who assisted with the project, including Museum Specialist Robyn Harris, then Superintendent Sandra Taylor, and Acting Superintendent Barbara Tagger, the Park staff who assisted with the inspection of historic structures, and Historical Architect Jessica Kelly of the Southeast Regional Office for their assistance. We hope that this study will prove valuable to park management in ongoing efforts to preserve the historic structure and to everyone in understanding and interpreting this unique resource.

Julie Ernstein, Acting Chief

Southeast Regional Office xvi Historic Structure Report: George Washington Carver Museum, Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site

National Park Service 1

Management Summary At the request of the National Park Service (NPS), Panamerican Consultants, Inc., and its subconsultants, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. (WJE) and WFT Architects (WFTA), have developed this Historic Structure Report (HSR) for the George Washington Carver Museum. The museum is located on the campus of Tuskegee University, Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site, Tuskegee, Alabama. It is also located in the Historic Campus District. Figure 1 is a map of the state of Alabama showing the location of the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site. Figure 2 is a map of the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site showing the location of the George Washington Carver Museum.

The George Washington Carver Museum is listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as a contributing resource to the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site.1 The property is important within the site because it represents an immediate link to Tuskegee’s most significant scientist, George Washington Carver, a philanthropist, humanitarian, and researcher who used the building for his last laboratories and office and as the site of the creation of his foundation, the George Washington Carver Research Foundation. Carver endowed the foundation upon his death for the perpetuity of the museum and education of young African American men in the sciences. The building, originally constructed in 1915 as a laundry, also represents a tangible link to Booker T.

Washington, the Institute’s first principal, during a period when the school stressed industrial education for men and women. The laundry was a site for the education of women in an important household and economic activity. Finally, the laundry was designed by Robert Robinson Taylor,

1. Horace J. Sheely Jr., National Survey of Historic

Sites and Buildings: Tuskegee Institute (N.P.:

National Park Service, 1965).

a significant African American architect, who taught at Tuskegee Institute and shaped its campus for almost forty years. The landscape of the campus was created by the significant black American landscape architect, David A. Williston.

Landscape work at the museum was completed by Merle Cooper and his students, who did the planting and laid out the new concrete walks.2

Historical Data

The George Washington Carver Museum is located on the northside of Campus Road on the campus of Tuskegee University within the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site. The Tuskegee Institute National Historic site was created by Public Law 93-486 on October 26, 1974.

The site includes approximately 74 acres, 24 of which are owned by the federal government and managed by the National Park Service. The remaining 50 acres belong to Tuskegee University.

A major portion of the campus was designated a National Historic Landmark (Historic Campus District) in 1965. The main features of the National Historic Site are the George Washington Carver Museum and The Oaks, the home of Booker T. Washington, both of which are owned by the National Park Service.3

Tuskegee University in Alabama officially opened its doors to America’s formerly enslaved people as the Tuskegee Normal School for Colored

2. Denver Service Center, Historic Structure

Report, George Washington Carver Museum, Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site, Tuskegee, Alabama (Denver, Colorado:

National Park Service, Southeast Regional Team, Historic Preservation Branch, 1980), 51– 52.

3. Tyrone Brandyburg, Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site Administrative History (N.P.: National Park Service, 1994).

2 Historic Structure Report: George Washington Carver Museum, Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site

Teachers in 1881. In time, the school gained recognition for its superior training of African Americans in industrial trades that helped to improve their economic conditions and way of life. By 1892, through legislation, the school was granted authority to act independently of the state of Alabama. Booker T. Washington served as principal of Tuskegee Institute from July 4, 1881, until his death in 1915. Under his leadership, the school achieved institutional independence and national prominence.

Washington, an exacting taskmaster who worked ceaselessly for the cause of African American economic independence, sought only the best black teachers and administrators for the new school. Among those he brought to Tuskegee were Robert R. Taylor, architect, David A. Williston, landscape architect, and George Washington Carver. Aside from Washington himself, no other name is more associated with Tuskegee than George Washington Carver.

Like Washington, Carver was born into slavery and struggled throughout his early life to attain an education. Unlike Washington, Carver spent his early life outside the South attaining Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in agriculture from what is now Iowa State University. Carver also took college training in music and art, and would pursue painting his entire life, an avocation that was not completely understood by his colleagues at Tuskegee Institute. Carver, an excellent teacher and researcher, was not an adroit administrator.

When Washington made Carver chairman of the agricultural department fresh out of university in 1896, problems with staff arose. Finally, by 1910, Washington, who no longer wanted to see internal politics disrupt the department, made Carver chief of research and the experiment station, a position he would hold, more or less, for the rest of his career.

Carver flourished in his new position with less administrative responsibility, and students flocked to his classes. In his position as chief of research for the Tuskegee Experiment Station, he was in a unique position to significantly affect the economic lives of southern black farmers. During the first quarter of the twentieth century, small southern farmers, both white and black, had fallen into a severe economic decline created by sharecropping and tenant farming and further burdened by the monoculture of cotton, which depleted the soil.

Carver embraced the responsibility of promoting scientific farming methods that would break this cycle. One of the methods Carver actively promoted was the diversification of crops. He also advocated the planting of peanuts, which replenished the soil with nitrogen that the repeated planting of cotton had taken from it.

After Washington’s death in 1915, his successor, Robert Russa Moton, acknowledged Carver’s importance to Tuskegee Institute by expanding his freedom to conduct independent research. During this period, Carver’s interest in the reuse of agricultural waste products and the development of wartime food substitutes led to his extensive research on the southern peanut.4 As a representative of the National Peanut Board, Carver famously appeared before the US House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee to talk about peanuts and crop diversification.

Although allotted a mere fifteen minutes for his appearance, he charmed Congress for more than an hour and helped ensure passage of the Fordney-McCumber Tariff Bill of 1922.5 Carver began to spend more time away from the Institute giving lectures and publicity interviews with various media, and ultimately achieved worldwide fame. He was at one time, arguably, the most famous living scientist. As noted on the National Peanut Board web site: “It’s not overstating matters to say that Dr. Carver and the peanut helped save the economy of the south.”6

In approximately 1938, Carver became ill with anemia and had to be hospitalized. At this same time, the Institute decided to rehabilitate the

4. Historic Structure Report, 22.

5. “George Washington Carver,” Encyclopedia of

World Biography, accessed August 15, 2018, http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ca- Ch/Carver-George-Washington.html.

6. “George Washington Carver,” National Peanut Board, accessed August 15, 2018, http://nationalpeanutboard.org/peanut-info/George-washington-carver.htm.

National Park Service 3 former laundry into the George Washington Carver Museum, a place where Carver would have his laboratories, office, student assistants, and where he could exhibit his many geological, agricultural, and artistic collections. The creation of the museum, and ultimately a foundation for its support and the teaching of science to young African American men, spurred Carver to recover from his illness and actively participate in its creation. Carver was deeply involved in every aspect of the creation of the museum, laboratory, and office, spending all of his time planning and thinking about it. The building was completed and dedicated in 1941 by Mr. and Mrs. Henry Ford, friends and supporters of Carver. After the opening, Carver grew increasingly ill, and on January 5, 1943, he died. At his death, he left his life savings, more than $60,000, to the George Washington Carver Research Foundation.

The museum remained virtually unchanged after his death until November 1947, when a fire occurred in the basement. The first floor partially collapsed but the building did not burn down because of its solid brick walls. Unfortunately, many of the records of Carver’s experiments and his paintings were lost, but most of his private papers were saved. Eventually, the fire damage sustained by the building was repaired.

In the rebuilding, however, the museum would become a different place—the laboratories and offices would go to a new science building and the museum would now house all museum materials and activities at Tuskegee. It would also be the repository for the African Art Collection and the dioramas of African American history, which were then located in the Library. The museum would also get its first curator.

As the old museum transitioned into the new museum, a host of changes were made including the replacement of the wood floor framing with a non-combustible steel frame with concrete floor deck, and the addition of a wet-pipe fire-suppression sprinkler system. The basement area was completely excavated and fully developed with offices and restrooms to support the museum above. Access to the lower level was provided by a steel spiral stair in the center of the building.

(Changes to interior finishes, as understood based on comparison of physical evidence to archival documentation, are discussed in the Condition Assessment chapter of this report.) For the next twenty-seven years, the George Washington Carver Museum served the Tuskegee Institute community as a general school museum and repository of its African Art collection.

The greenhouse where Carver conducted his famous research on the pollination of amaryllis plants—an important component of the building during his tenure—was removed during the 1950s (date not known). This modification is one of the few major changes affecting the exterior since the period of significance.

In 1974, the museum was acquired by the National Park Service and once again underwent changes in collections and exhibitions concepts. A complete adaptive rehabilitation of the interior was implemented with the goal of providing a building that serves the exhibition, archival, and administrative needs of the museum while providing amenities and resources for visitors to the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site.

Today, as articulated in the Long Range Interpretive Plan (2003), the George Washington Carver Museum serves as the central point for orienting and providing amenities to park visitors.

It tells the story of its namesake and Tuskegee Institute and University, and the setting of the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site. The main exhibit area of the museum is divided into two sections. One interprets the career of Carver and the other the growth and development of Tuskegee University. These two stories are told using exhibits, paintings, photographs, and objects—the most spectacular of which is the Jesup Wagon, a traveling agricultural teaching tool used for agricultural extension work.

In 2012, a Consensus Determination of Eligibility (DOE) was prepared by Bethany Serafine and Rudy Evenson both NPS Southeast Regional Office Historians, which determined that the following landscape elements are contributing to the George Washington Carver Museum: the concrete and brick steps (1930) (LCS- 000198) and the George

4 Historic Structure Report: George Washington Carver Museum, Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site

Washington Carver bust (1936) (LCS- 091222).7 Deputy Alabama State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) Elizabeth Ann Brown concurred.

Treatment and Use

The George Washington Carver Museum is significant for its association with Tuskegee Institute’s most famous scientist, George Washington Carver; its past as a laundry for the training of women in the economically important industry; and as part of the architectural and physical landscape as designed by Robert R.

Taylor, architect, and David A. Williston, landscape architect. The building is located on the Tuskegee campus, off Campus Road, in the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site as well as the Tuskegee Institute Historic District. It is anticipated to remain in use as a museum commemorating the life and work of George Washington Carver and the growth and development of Tuskegee Institute and University.

The recommended overarching treatment for the structure is therefore Rehabilitation.

During the fieldwork investigations for the completion of this report, it was discovered that the roof structure of the Carver Museum needed immediate emergency bracing until appropriate stabilization measures or long-term repairs were implemented. As recommended by the Panamerican team structural engineers, WJE, the Park restricted access to the building interior until emergency bracing of selected roof trusses was completed.

Administrative Data

Locational Data

Building Name: George Washington Carver Museum

7. Serafine, Bethany, and Rudy Evenson, Consensus Determination of Eligibility for Landscape Features at The Oaks and George Washington Carver Museum, Tuskegee Institute NHS (Atlanta: National Park Service Southeast Regional Office, 2012).

Location: Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site, Tuskegee, Alabama

LCS Number: The George Washington Carver Museum is on the List of Classified Structures (LCS) as follows:

George Washington Carver Museum LCS 091221, and its contributing landscape elements: concrete and brick steps (1930) LCS 000198, and George Washington Carver Bust

(1936) LCS 091222.

Related Studies

Elizabeth Ann Brown. Consensus Determination of Eligibility for Landscape Features at The Oaks and George Washington Carver Museum, Tuskegee Institute NHS. Montgomery: Alabama State Historic Preservation Office, 2012.

Denver Service Center. Historic Structure Report, George Washington Carver Museum, Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site, Tuskegee, Alabama. Denver, CO.: National Park Service, Southeast Regional Team, Historic Preservation Branch, 1980.

Horace J. Sheely Jr. National Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings: Tuskegee Institute. National Park Service, 1965.

Cultural Resource Data

In 1966, a 1-1/2-page National Historic Landmark nomination was completed on the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site, which included The Oaks and Carver Museum as contributing resources.

In 1977, a Historic Resource Study (HRS) was created by John W. Jenkins of the National Park Service Denver Service Center, but was never published. In this document, the “laundry (Carver Museum)” is discussed as part of the construction projects related to the period 1896–1915, a period

National Park Service 5 that Jenkins believed was the “zenith of industrial education” at Tuskegee.8

A Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) documentation project (HABS AL-876 old number; ALA-44-TUSG-9) was completed for the museum in 1978. Eleven sheets of measured drawings, but no narrative, were prepared.

A Historic Structures Report (HSR) was prepared for the George Washington Carver Museum by the NPS, Denver Service Center in 1980. The HSR includes historical, landscape, and architectural data, as well as itemized condition tables of exterior features engineering systems, and a recommended preservation program.

The Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site parkwide Interpretive Plan was created in 2002 and focused heavily on the Carver Museum and The Oaks, since these are the two buildings administered by the NPS.

Lord, Aeck & Sargent, Atlanta, Georgia, completed a Condition Assessment Report for the interior and exterior of the museum building in 2011 in order to identify the scope and location of needed repairs and to develop general treatment recommendations and preliminary budgets.

In 2012, a DOE for landscape elements of the George Washington Carver Museum was made by the Alabama SHPO. It was determined that the concrete and brick steps and the George Washington Carver bust were contributing resources to the museum landscape.

Also in 2012, the NPS completed a major roof restoration and renovation at the museum.

Period of Significance: 1915–1943

Proposed Treatment: Rehabilitation

8. John W. Jenkins, Historic Resource Study, Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site, Tuskegee, Alabama (Denver, Colorado:

National Park Service, Denver Service Center, Historic Preservation Team, 1977).

Project Scope and Methodology

The goal of the HSR is to develop planning information for use in the repair, maintenance, and preservation of this historically significant structure. First developed by the National Park Service in the 1930s, HSRs are documents prepared for a building, structure, or group of buildings and structures of recognized significance to record and analyze the property’s initial construction and subsequent alterations through historical, physical, and pictorial evidence;

document the performance and condition of the structure’s materials and overall physical stability;

identify an appropriate course of treatment; and, following implementation of the recommended work, document alterations made through that treatment.

The HSR addresses key issues specific to the George Washington Carver Museum including the history and construction chronology of the building; the existing physical condition of the exterior envelope, structural systems, and primary interior spaces and features; and the historic significance and integrity of the building.

The following project methodology was used for this study.

Research and Document Review. Archival research was performed to gather information about the original construction and past modifications and repairs for use in assessing existing conditions and developing treatment recommendations for the building. Documents reviewed included maps, drawings, specifications, historic photographs, and other written and illustrative documentation about the history of construction and repairs to the structure. The research for this study built upon prior historical and archival research by the NPS and others, as outlined in the bibliography provided with this report. Primary reference material for this study was obtained from the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site collections. Additional research material was obtained from the NPS Technical Information Center (TIC) in Denver,Colorado, 6 Historic Structure Report: George Washington Carver Museum, Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site and multiple online sites associated with the history of Tuskegee Institute / University, George Washington Carver, and other pertinent cultural and social topics. The Tuskegee University Archives and their Archivist, Dana Chandler, were particularly helpful.

Condition Assessment and Documentation.

Concurrent with the historical research, a condition survey was performed and observations documented with digital photographs, field notes, and annotation on baseline drawings. For purposes of the field survey, drawings were prepared by the project team. The condition assessment addressed the exterior and primary interior spaces and features of the building as well as the building’s hazardous materials.

Development of History, Chronology of Construction, and Evaluation of Significance. Based on historical documentation and physical evidence gathered during the study, a context history and a chronology of design and construction were developed. An evaluation of the significance was also prepared, taking into consideration guidelines provided by National Register Bulletin: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation.9 This evaluation of history and significance provided the basis for the development of recommended treatment alternatives.

Guidelines for Preservation. Based on the evaluation of historical and architectural significance of the structure, guidelines were prepared to assist in the selection and implementation of preservation treatments.

Treatment Recommendations. The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties guided the development of treatment recommendations for the significant exterior and interior features of the buildings, as well as for the features of the landscape included in this study. Following the overall treatment

9. National Park Service, National Register

Bulletin: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation (Washington, DC:, Government Printing Office, 1997).

approach of Rehabilitation for the museum, the specific recommendations were developed to address the observed existing distress conditions as well as the Park’s intended future use and long-term objectives.10

Preparation of Historic Structure Report.

Following completion of research, site work, and analysis, a narrative report was prepared summarizing the results of the research and inspection and presenting recommendations for treatment. The HSR was compiled following the organizational guidelines of NPS Preservation Brief 43: The Preparation and Use of Historic Structure Reports, with modifications to organizational structure for purposes of this project.11

10. Anne E. Grimmer, The Secretary of the

Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring & Reconstructing Historic Buildings (Washington, DC: US Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Technical Preservation Services, 2017).

11. Deborah Slaton, Preservation Brief 43: The Preparation and Use of Historic Structure Reports (Washington, DC: National Park Service, Technical Preservation Services, 2005).

National Park Service 7

FIGURE 1. Map of Alabama showing location of Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site (not to scale).

FIGURE 2. Tuskegee Institute map showing the George Washington Carver Museum. (Source: National Park Service)

8 Historic Structure Report: George Washington Carver Museum, Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site

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National Park Service 9

Developmental History

Historical Background and Context

Tuskegee University in Alabama officially opened its doors to America’s formerly enslaved people as the Tuskegee Normal School for Colored Teachers in 1881.12 In time, the university gained recognition for its superior training of African Americans in industrial trades that helped improve their economic conditions and way of life. By 1892, through legislation, the school was granted authority to act independently of the state of Alabama. Booker T. Washington served as principal of Tuskegee from July 4, 1881, until his death in November 1915. Under his leadership, the school achieved institutional independence and national prominence.

In 1965, Tuskegee University was designated as a National Historic Landmark. The US Secretary of the Interior established the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site on November 13, 1977.

Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site stands today as a symbol of African American achievement and a reminder of Booker T. Washington’s legacy in African American education and culture.13

12. This historic context follows the five periods of Tuskegee Institute’s development history as organized in Clement & Wynn, The Jaeger Company, and Grashof Studio Design, Campus Heritage Tuskegee University, Tuskegee Alabama (Atlanta: Clement & Wynn, 2009).

13. “Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site Alabama,” National Park Service, accessed May 23, 2017, https://www.nps.gov/tuin/index.htm.

Early History of the City of Tuskegee

The City of Tuskegee has played a major role in the history of Alabama and the United States.

Located forty miles east of Montgomery, Alabama, Tuskegee was settled and laid out in 1833.14 At the time of Tuskegee’s founding, the area was still inhabited by Native Americans of the Creek Nation. The town’s name is a derivation of a Creek leader named Taskigi, whose town occupied the triangle of land formed by the convergence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers. The land on which Tuskegee now stands was first settled soon after the French and Indian War (1754–1763). A treaty ending the war declared that France would surrender the area to the English, who took control of the French fort at Tuskegee. The United States assumed possession of the area after the American Revolution, when it became part of the Mississippi Territory. In 1817, the Alabama Territory was formed from the Mississippi Territory, and two years later, Alabama became the twenty-second state admitted to the Union.

Tuskegee was sited along a historic Indian trail that later became the highway between Fort Mitchell and Fort Montgomery.15

After the Creek Nation was forcibly removed from Alabama in 1836, European American pioneers settled in the area. With the founding of Macon

14. Sarah Lawless, “Tuskegee,” Encyclopedia Alabama, last modified November 21, 2016, http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article /h-2051.

15. Fort Mitchell was an important post in Russell County during the Creek War of 1813–1814.

10 Historic Structure Report: George Washington Carver Museum, Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site

County in 1832, Tuskegee became the county seat.

In 1843, the City of Tuskegee was officially incorporated. By 1855, Tuskegee was one of five settlements in Macon County to experience a significant amount of trading business. Unlike the other towns, Tuskegee lacked a railroad, yet it benefited from its position as county seat and its central location. The city’s streets were laid out around the central square and courthouse.

At the beginning of the Civil War in 1861, the majority of enslaved African Americans lived within the agricultural region stretching from Virginia to Mississippi, commonly known as the “Black Belt” region. Tuskegee occupied the near geographic center of this population area.

With the establishment of Tuskegee Normal School in 1881, the town began to gain national fame through the success of the school, the efforts of educator Booker T. Washington (1856–1915), and the agricultural research of George Washington Carver (1864–1943). Few towns in the South have had as much impact on modern African American history as Tuskegee. As noted in Booker T. Washington’s An Autobiography: The Story of My Life and Work (1901), before his arrival in Tuskegee in June 1881, he found it “. . . almost impossible to find the town on any map and had difficulty in learning its exact location.”16

Establishment of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (1881–1895)

In the decade following the Civil War, there were few educational opportunities for African Americans in the South. Several missionary groups, such as the American Missionary Association, entered the region to convert those formerly enslaved and establish schools for them.

On March 3, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill establishing the Bureau of Refugees,

16. Booker T. Washington, An Autobiography.

The Story of My Life and Work (Toronto, Ontario, Naperville, Illinois: J.L Nichols & Co., 1901), 53. Pdf e-book.

Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (also known as the Freedmen’s Bureau) to protect the rights of the recently emancipated 4,000,000 slaves in the South. Operated by the War Department, the Freedmen’s Bureau supervised all relief and educational activities relating to refugees and freedmen to help African Americans and whites in the South transition from a society based on slavery. From 1865 to 1872, the Bureau oversaw some 3,000 schools and opened over 1,000 schools for freed persons.17 A number of colleges and training schools for blacks, including Howard University and Hampton Institute, were also established before the Bureau’s termination in 1872. Although a short-lived agency, the Freedmen’s Bureau provided initial opportunities for African Americans through land ownership and education.