Carnegie Academic Building and Talley-Brady Hall

Funded by Andrew Carnegie at the turn of the 20th century, this building was constructed as the first permanent library at Fisk and was one of four Carnegie-funded libraries in Nashville. U.S. Secretary of War (and future President) William Howard Taft laid the cornerstone for the building in 1908. Moses McKissack III designed the building, which held approximately 8,000 volumes. The basement of the building held a gymnasium for female students, and the top floor was used for faculty housing. Following the construction of Cravath Library in 1930, the Carnegie Building was converted to the Social Science department and is now known as the Carnegie Academic Building, or Carnegie Hall.

With your back to the Academic Building, follow the sidewalk in front of you as it curves to the right. Stop when you reach the two historical markers in front of Talley-Brady Hall.

Talley-Brady Hall opened in 1931 and was Fisk’s science building. It was named for Thomas Talley and his best-known student, St. Elmo Brady. You’ve already seen the Talley residence, but here’s a little more about the man. For over 30 years, Thomas Talley taught science courses, but he never abandoned his passion for music. He sang with the university choir and even composed several choral arrangements. In 1922, Talley published a book of African-American secular folk songs that he had collected, making him the first Black scholar to assemble such a collection. 

St. Elmo Brady came to Fisk in 1904 from Kentucky and studied under Dr. Talley. After he graduated in 1908 with a bachelor’s degree, Brady accepted a teaching position at Tuskegee Institute, where he worked with George Washington Carver. Brady moved to Illinois to pursue graduate work at the University of Illinois and became the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in Chemistry. He taught at Howard University, but returned to Fisk in 1927 when his mentor Thomas Talley retired. Brady remained at Fisk for 25 years before his retirement, although he continued consulting with science educators at Tougaloo College in Mississippi. In 2019, the American Chemical Society honored Brady with the creation of a National Historic Chemical Landmark in his honor.

Turn LEFT and continue walking down the sidewalk on the back side of Cravath Hall toward Jackson Street. The next stop, the Little Theatre and Carl Van Vechten Art Gallery, is just ahead on your right. You can walk down the sidewalk on your right to get a closer look at the Little Theatre or stay here on the sidewalk to view both buildings.