1877 – Columbia Institution for the Deaf & Dumb, Washington DC

Architect: F.C. Withers

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Perspective of the College Building published in The Building News, July 28th 1876. College Hall, one of the first structures erected on Gallaudet’s campus, was designed by Frederick Clark Withers and built in 1877 to be used for classes, student housing, and the main administration offices. It was completely renovated in 1995. Columbia Institution for the Deaf & Dumb is now known as Gallaudet University, a federally-chartered university for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was the first school for the advanced education of the deaf and hard of hearing in the world, and is still the only higher education institution in which all programs and services are specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students. Hearing students are admitted to the graduate school, and a small number are also admitted as undergraduates each year. The university was named after Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, a notable figure in the advancement of deaf education.