Lucy Cobb Institute restoration photographs


Descriptive Summary
Title: Lucy Cobb Institute restoration photographs
Creator: University of Georgia
Inclusive Dates: 1931-1984
Language(s): English
Extent: 0.25 Linear Feet
Collection Number: UA15-029
Repository: University of Georgia Archives

Collection Description

Historical Note

The Lucy Cobb Institute was a girls' school on Milledge Avenue in Athens, Georgia. It was founded by Thomas R.R. Cobb, and named in honor of his daughter, who had died of scarlet fever at age 14, shortly before construction was completed and doors opened; it was incorporated in 1859. The cornerstone for the Seney-Stovall Chapel was laid in May 1882, and the octagonal building was dedicated in 1885. The school closed in 1931.

The campus of the Lucy Cobb Institute was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 16, 1972. In 1984, restoration of the buildings began when President Ronald Reagan signed a bill that included an appropriation to support renovation of the Lucy Cobb Institute as the new home of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government. The renovation project—with the exception of the Seney-Stovall Chapel—was completed in 1991. In 1997 the renovation of the chapel was completed.

Scope and Content

The collection consists of photographs of the Lucy Cobb Institute prior to and during its restoration. The main portion of the project took place between 1984 and 1991 (with work on the Seney-Stovall Chapel extending to 1997). The photographs appear to capture a preliminary survey of the property and perhaps the earliest phases of restoration, as they only depict the complex in a rather decrepit state.

The collection includes both interior and exterior images of the buildings, including those of the main classroom building, the Seney-Stovall Chapel, and adjacent outbuildings. Also included in the collection are three programs from theatre performances at the Seney-Stovall Chapel, dating from the 1930s.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Lucy Cobb Institute restoration photographs, UA15-029, University of Georgia Archives, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries.