History Highlight: St. Stanislaus College
From February 16 E-News
Prepared by Josh Rogers

After this year’s Patron’s Party at Lawrence and Andrea Williford’s beautiful Stanislaus home, several Patrons pondered how Stanislaus got its name.  Since Macon’s founding, the land on which the Stanislaus neighborhood sits has always been prime real estate.  Sitting at over 600 feet above sea level, this rolling 42 acres caught cooling breezes, enjoyed by J.H.R. Washington, one of Macon’s first mayors, who built his summer house on this property.  Washington’s family sold the property for the founding of an educational institution.  On May 1, 1874, the Catholic Bishop from Savannah laid the cornerstone for Pio Nono College (named for then-Pope Pius IX).  In 1889, the college was renamed St. Stanislaus College.

The building constructed was five stories high, 175 feet long and 65 feet wide.  In keeping with the country house tradition of the previous owner of the property, the college was constructed in the tradition of English Victorian Country houses with a formal tree-lined entry drive, terminating at a circular turnaround centered on a large statue.  The symmetrical façade was flanked by matching grand staircases on each wing, with many long porches accenting the exterior and capturing hilltop breezes.  The building is probably best identified as Collegiate Victorian style, although there are some features from other traditions such as the Stick-style cupola in the center.  On the evening of Nov. 7, 1921, the entire college burned to the ground after an oil-soaked mop caught fire in a sealed closet.   The loss was estimated at $200,000 at the time, and taken in the blaze was the entire library, including some volumes dating from the 15th century.

After failing to raise enough money to rebuild the college, the Jesuits teamed up with local real estate company Murphey, Taylor and Ellis to redevelop the site into a residential neighborhood in 1926.  The “million dollar” neighborhood included 102 tracts on 42 acres, with most lots sold between 1927 and 1939, although some construction continued into the 1950s.  Today, the name of the neighborhood and the streets therein pay homage to this bygone college.