TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The dorm with the namesake of Sojourner Truth on the Florida A&M University's Truth Hall, up for demolition.
Now there's a push to save it.
The university said in a news release on Feb. 8 the demolition is necessary because much of the structural integrity of the 32,000 square foot woman's dorm was out of date.
It was built in 1958 and renovated 30 years later.
The Tallahassee NAACP is asking alumni to contact university leaders to prevent the demolition, saying it's part of the "H" in the acronym for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
"FAMU is a national historic district as designated in 1996 and the campus is a national treasure, as has be noted by the federal government, and we have to be good stewards of the history and of the architectural splendor that is Florida A&M University," Delaitre Hollinger, president of National Association for the Preservation of African American History and Culture said.
Demolition is expected to be completed in late May.
Hollinger adds that national grant money is available to preserve the building if the university chooses to pursue it.
This is one of several dorms the university has worked to demolish and upgrade in recent history.
First there was Polkinghorn Village in 2012, then McGuinn, Diamond, Wheatley and Cropper Halls in 2019.
Followed by the Paddyfoote Complex just last year.
