 Former classroom building at 1800 Vermont Ave., NW Washington, D.C. | |
Former name | Interdenominational Bible College and Bible Educational Association, until 1917 |
|---|---|
| Motto | Sic Itur Ad Astra[1] |
| Type | Private historically Black university, adult secondary education |
| Active | April 27, 1906–c. 1960[a] |
| Founder | Jesse Lawson, Rosetta Lawson |
Religious affiliation | Nondenominational Christianity |
| Location | , U.S. |
| Campus | Home college |
| Location | 1800 Vermont Ave., NW Washington, D.C. |
| Coordinates | 38°54′54″N 77°1′37″W / 38.91500°N 77.02694°W |
| Built | 1879 |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Part of | Greater U Street Historic District[3] (ID98001557) |
| NRHP reference No. | 95001228[2] |
| Added to NRHP | November 6, 1995 |
Frelinghuysen University was a private historically Black university in Washington, D.C., which was open from 1906 to c. 1960.[a] It provided adult education and social services to poor and working-class African Americans. Founded by activists Jesse and Rosetta Lawson, it was the first school to offer evening and extension courses to African American students in Washington, D.C. Focused on providing service to the working poor, the university charged the lowest tuition possible and held classes in local homes and businesses to reduce commuting time for its students.
First presided over by Jesse Lawson and later by African American scholar Anna J. Cooper, the university offered programs for those with limited or no literacy and a full high school curriculum and courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The university was named after Frederick T. Frelinghuysen, a politician from New Jersey, for his support of African-American causes, and several of its schools were named in honor of other public servants who worked to support African Americans. The university's first permanent classroom building, located at 1800 Vermont Avenue in Northwest Washington, D.C., is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its significance to African American education.
Following financial difficulties in the early 1930s and the loss of accreditation in 1937, the school changed its name to Frelinghuysen Group of Schools for Colored Working People in 1940. The university experienced a slow decline throughout the 1940s. Although not awarding degrees, the university still provided educational and social services to the African-American community that were otherwise unavailable during this time. By 1964, Frelinghuysen University had closed.
- ^ Chateauvert 1990, p. 267.
- ^ "National Register Information System – (#95001228)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ Trieschmann, Laura V.; Sellin, Anne; Callcott, Stephen (November 1998), National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Greater U Street Historic District (PDF), retrieved March 31, 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
dcistwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Chateauvert 1990, p. 271.
- ^ Johnson 2009, p. 50.
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