Gorgas House is a historic building on the University of Alabama campus, designed by architect William Nichols in 1828. It was originally a guest house and later a faculty residence, surviving the American Civil War. The Gorgas family lived there in the 19th century, with General Josiah Gorgas becoming university librarian. The building is now a state monument and museum, open for tours and special events.
Gorgas House is a state monument on the campus of the University of Alabama in the United States. Architect William Nichols designed the building as part of the original University of Alabama campus before the American Civil War. Gorgas House takes its name from the Gorgas family who lived in the building in the second half of the 19th century. The building is preserved as a historical monument and is open to visitors to the university campus.
Built in 1828, Gorgas House was originally intended as a guest house for dignitaries and academics visiting the University of Alabama. Students were also permitted to use the building as a dining hall before the house was remodeled as a faculty residence in the 1840s. During the American Civil War, Gorgas House was the only building on the University of Alabama campus that was not destroyed.
Architect William Nichols was responsible for the design of the building, which was built two years before the rest of the original university campus. Along with the original University of Alabama campus, Nichols was responsible for the design of the Alabama State Capitol in Tuscaloosa and the University of Mississippi campus in Oxford, Mississippi. There are no other buildings left on the William Nichols-designed Alabama campus.
General Josiah Gorgas was awarded the Gorgas House upon his retirement as president of the University of Alabama. Ill health forced General Gorgas to accept the position of university librarian, which he held until his death in 1883. During the occupation of the house by the Gorgas family, General Gorgas’ wife, Amelia Gayle Gorgas, assumed the dual position of postmaster and lover of the infirmary. After her husband’s death, she took over the job of university librarian, leading to the naming of the Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library on the University of Alabama campus in her honor.
The high esteem enjoyed by the Gorgas family in Alabama led to Gorgas House being declared a memorial to the family by the state legislature in 1944. Along with his college work, General Josiah Gorgas was a Confederate general during the Civil War and Amelia Gayle Gorgas was the daughter of Alabama Governor John Gayle. To preserve the Gorgas House, the building joined the University of Alabama group of museums. As of 2011, tours are operated Tuesday through Saturday for visitors to Gorgas House, with building rental available for special occasions and celebrations.
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