By Maria Saporta

Enough already.

Two of Atlanta’s most historic buildings – Gaines Hall and Furber Cottage – were victims of two separate fires this past week.

Yet again.

Gaines Hall, built in 1869 as part of Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University), was the victim of a major fire in 2015. And Furber Cottage, built as a student dorm for Atlanta University in 1899, caught on fire in 2019. Early Thursday morning (Feb. 16), a fire broke out in the back part of Gaines Hall. And three days later, there was a fire at Furber Cottage.

The front of Gaines Hall on Feb. 17 showing that much of the structure is still standing. (Photo by Maria Saporta.)

By some miracle, both are still standing – side by side – on Atlanta’s Diamond Hill, the heart of our historically black colleges and universities.

But this neglect has gone on too long. These fires should serve as a call to action for Atlanta. We need to save these buildings once and for all.

“We absolutely love those buildings,” said Dr. George French, president of Clark Atlanta University, which owns Gaines Hall and Furber Cottage. “We are not going to give up.”

In light of the two fires, French said the university has stepped up security around both buildings, which have been closed off with a high chain link fence for years. CAU has not yet received a report from the Atlanta Fire Department on the causes of both fires.

Furber Cottage on Feb. 17 — two days before there was a fire in the historic dorm. (Photo by Maria Saporta.)

“We are doing our due diligence to continue securing our property – gated and locked,” French said in a phone interview Monday morning. “As intruders have breached our security, we are installing additional video security devices on the property.”

Debra A. Williams, CAU’s chief of police, who was in a meeting with President French on Monday, said they have also increased police presence around those properties.

In truth, the only way to ensure…