William Carey University broke ground for the new Tatum Court and the Asbury Academic Building on August 2, 2017.
“Today was an exciting time as we broke ground for the new Tatum Court,” said Dr. Tommy King, WCU president. “This is further evidence that Carey will come back stronger than ever.”
The new Tatum Court will replace the historic 1914 building which was declared a complete loss after the January 21, 2017, tornado that hit campus.
The first floor of the three-story administration building will include a reception area and offices for financial aid, registrar, and financial affairs. The second floor will include offices for the president, academic vice president, provost, human resources, and marketing. A board room and conference rooms also will be available on the second floor. The third floor will provide much-needed space for special events and banquets. The estimated cost of the 28,909-square-foot building, including architectural fees, is $9.3 million.
Tatum Court is named in honor of W.S.F Tatum, a wealthy lumberman, who acquired the property and offered it as a gift to the Mississippi Baptist Convention in 1911 to establish Mississippi Woman’s College. The college became co-ed in 1953 and was named William Carey College. The status of the institution changed from college to university in 2006.
The Asbury Academic Building will house the Ralph and Naomi Noonkester School of Arts and Letters classrooms and faculty offices that were in the old Tatum Court. The building also includes space for the Lucile Parker Gallery. The building on Tuscan Avenue that previously housed the gallery and apartments was a total loss from the tornado. The new building is being named in honor of the Asbury Foundation, which gave $2 million to the university’s tornado recovery efforts. The 12,000-square-foot building will cost approximately $2.2 million.
The theatre department, which also was located in Tatum Court, will move to a new addition being constructed at the Tatum Theatre.
Tatum Court is named in honor of W.S.F Tatum, a wealthy lumberman, who acquired the property and offered it as a gift to the Mississippi Baptist Convention in 1911 to establish Mississippi Woman’s College. The college became co-ed in 1953 and was named William Carey College. The status of the institution changed from college to university in 2006.
Landry and Lewis Architects, PA, of Hattiesburg is the architect and Hanco Corporation of Hattiesburg will be the contractor for Tatum Court and the Asbury building. Construction should be completed in summer 2018.
