Isaiah T. Creswell House and Thomas Talley House

Here we see two examples of faculty residences that remain important to the Fisk University legacy. First up, on the left we have the Creswell Residence, an excellent example of 1960s contemporary architecture with pierced masonry, steel columns, and a flat roof. This was the home of Fisk University’s chief financial officer Isaiah T. Creswell and his wife Pearl Sanders Creswell. She was a Fisk alumna and the first curator of the Steiglitz Collection—serving for 40 years in this position. We’ll talk more about this important collection later in the tour. In 1964, Jet magazine showcased the house, calling it an “ultra-modern glass and redwood residence.”

Next door to the Creswell residence, on the right, is the Talley House. Thomas Talley, a noted Fisk chemistry professor, lived here with his wife Ellen and their daughters. His parents were both formerly enslaved, and Talley, born in 1870, came to Nashville and enrolled in Fisk’s high school division. He later earned his undergraduate degree and was also a member of the Fisk Jubilee Singers. A man of many talents, Talley devoted his life to education, pursuing graduate work at Walden University, Meharry Medical College, and the University of Chicago. He taught at Florida A&M and Tuskegee Institute before returning to Fisk in 1903. The home has been restored as a space for the Jubilee Singers. And don’t worry, we’ll talk more about Thomas Talley later in the tour.

Now turn around and walk back up 17th Ave to enter the Fisk University campus. When you reach Jackson Street, cross the street and walk through the Harry Elson Memorial Gate. Your next stop is the John Hope and Aurelia Elizabeth Franklin Library, on your right.