Leonard Medical School
The 1881 Leonard Medical School is a nice—if not entirely intact—example of the Romanesque Revival style. Its primary significance, however, lies in its connection to the medical education provided by Shaw University to black male students in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Increasing the ranks of professionally trained black doctors during segregation bettered the black community’s access to health care. It also helped create a black professional class and a group of leaders active in the political fight against segregation. The school unfortunately closed in 1918; it was always in want of a sustaining endowment. Shaw converted the building to general classroom and office use. A 1983 fire did heavy damage and Leonard stood empty for over a decade. The university rehabilitated it in the last years of the twentieth century, rebuilding architectural features lost in the fire. It is now known as Leonard Hall.
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