What’s going on with Quinn College? An abandoned college in Waco, Texas.

Quinn College is an abandoned college near the heart of Waco, Texas. This news article will explain what is going with Quinn College.

An engineering study of William Decker Johnson Hall on the former Paul Quinn College campus, along with the rest of the Paul Quinn College campus in Waco, Texas was taken on the date of November 27, 2021. This was conducted for preservation status. This engineering study of William Decker Johnson Hall along with the rest of the Paul Quinn College campus will will reveal how much it will take to restore the 100 year old buildings. (Ref: https://wacotrib.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/waco-funds-study-of-decker-johnson-hall-to-determine-path-for-preservation/article_76eae73e-4f9a-11ec-8297-770a5aefd17b.html)

A portion of the former Paul Quinn College campus has remained vacant and abandoned since Paul Quinn College moved to Dallas in 1990.

William Decker Johnson Hall was originally built in 1923 as all-black Paul Quinn College's chapel, dormitory, and dinning. The outside is in great shape but the inside would likely need to be gutted if restored. (Ref: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jrbeckwith/32932810338/)

William Decker Johnson Hall has remained vacant since Paul Quinn College left Waco in 1990. Today the former Quinn College is now vacant and abandoned. All that's left of the original Paul Quinn College is the William Decker Johnson Hall which is a three-story brick building with raised basement, a corbeled cornice, and a partially enclosed double gallery. (Ref: https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/TX-01-WT20)

Community Heritage Development Division is working with Texas Historical Commission (THC) as part of a team that hopes to create plans for its rehabilitation. The William Decker Johnson Hall building is historically significant because it was built by William S. Pittman, one of the first working Black architects in Texas. (Ref: https://thcfriends.org/history-matters-friends-texas-historical-commission-quarterly-newsletter-august-2021)

When Texans began abandoning rural areas for city life, small black colleges such as Quinn found themselves far removed and in some cases less attractive to the students they sought to serve. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/411062775/)

Part of the Quinn College campus is now a new city community center at a a formerly abandoned college campus since Beth Robertson, chairwoman of the board for the trust, fought for funding the new city community center at the former Quinn College campus. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/358702271/)

Quinn College was located at 1020 Elm Avenue, Waco, Texas, US 76704.