Historically Black College Morris Brown has been in a bad spot for the past several years. The school is bankrupt and has lost its accreditation. But that does not mean that the school is dead. The school has been trying to emerge from bankruptcy with its image and legacy intact. Now word has come that the majority of the campus has been sold to the city of Atlanta for an estimated $14.5 million. The school’s property is extremely valuable because it sits on the highest point in the city of Atlanta.
But many problems have arisen with the sale. The first of which is that neighboring HBCU Clark Atlanta University has a binding legal agreement on portions of the schools property. The agreement basically states that Morris Brown may use property that Clark Atlanta University lend-leased to the school on the condition that the property be used for educational purposes only. Otherwise the property reverts back to Clark Atlanta University. U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Barbara Ellis-Munro presiding over the case has ruled that Clark Atlanta University can pursue their argument regarding the land in state court and that Morris Brown College could proceed with the sale. The current deal allows Morris Brown College to keep certain buildings and continue to operate as a college. In addition, the historic Friendship Baptist Church will build a new sanctuary on the campus of the college to make way for a new sports arena.
Morris Brown College was established in 1881 by the African Methodist Episcopal Church and is the only school in the Atlanta University Center founded solely by blacks. The turmoil surrounding the college’s condition has led to federal indictments and convictions of fiscal mismanagement and fraud by the past administrations.
