It’s as if legendary Florida educator and civics leader A. Quinn Jones is looking over the shoulder of museum coordinator Carol Richardson.
For more than eight months, Richardson has been carrying out the mission of the A. Quinn Jones Museum & Cultural Center which operates in partnership with the Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency (GCRA), City of Gainesville and the Florida African American Heritage Preservation Network (FAAHPN).
Her mission as an interim museum coordinator: Bringing a rich history to life by not only reminding visitors of the contributions Jones made as an educator, but by scheduling events focusing on culture in the form of readings, music, and performances.
Allen Quinn Jones was born on March 3, 1893 and became known as “Professor” Jones in 1921 when he accepted a position as principal of Union Academy in Gainesville, then two years later lead the opening of Lincoln High School. After years of work, Lincoln High School became fully accredited in 1926, the second African-American high school in the state of Florida to qualify for the distinction.
The home he grew up in at 1013 NW 7th Ave. in the Pleasant Street neighborhood houses photographs and artifacts of his accomplishments as a way to keep his memory alive. Beyond that, the newly renovated facility pays tribute to local accomplishments in education, in addition to featuring events and rotating exhibits about civil rights, churches and culture.
The site received an historic site marker in 2009 from the State of Florida and is listed by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior on the National Register of Historic Places. In January 2021, the City finished improvements to the facility funded by Wild Spaces Public Spaces (WSPP).
Those upgrades included the creation of a brick courtyard with built-in seating and a stormwater management system under the newly paved parking lot, new sidewalks, a storage shed, bike racks, landscaping and site lighting.
The project cost was $310,292. You can find Richardson at the center on Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays from 1 to 5 p.m. or often on weekends for special events and by appointment for field trips and scheduled visits. Richardson said her favorite area of the center is the schoolroom and she is exciting to be onboard fulltime.
She’s busy booking events for the community and center visitors, and continuing her goal of catering to the wide range of interests neighbors have. A typical day at the museum and cultural center for Richardson is searching for event and exhibit ideas that “reflect the needs and desires of the community.”
“It’s about understanding what the community looks like, what the community wants and choosing productions and programs that reflect that,” she said, adding that she is also working at building relationships with neighbors and other institutions that support the center such as the University of Florida.
Richardson said she lived in the Pleasant Street neighborhood for several years, graduated from Eastside High School, and went to Santa Fe College and the University of Florida before raising her family in Gainesville. Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Assistant Director Leslie Ladendorf said the coordinator position at the center remained vacant for about eight months during the pandemic and that Richardson started as a temporary staff person to get the museum activated “post-mid-COVID.”
“We brought her on for her extensive knowledge of arts and culture in Alachua County and the city,” Ladendorf about adding Richardson to the role fulltime.
“She also has ties to the neighborhood and with some of our most treasured stakeholders in the neighborhood and surrounding community. She’s produced three new series for the Museum: 7th Ave Book Talks, Lectures, and Music on the Patio. All have been greatly successful and have really opened the doors to so many people who may not have known the Museum existed.”
To keep in touch and learn about upcoming events at the center, visit the website and follow the Facebook page. Richardson said she enjoys each day she spends at the museum surrounded by photographs and memorabilia that pays tribute to Jones and his accomplishments.
“I appreciate the commitment made to renovations and honoring Dr. Jones and his legacy,” she said about the recent upgrades to the center. Ladendorf said, “I am thrilled to be able to continue to work with Carol. Her fresh insight and creative ideas have been awesome. Not to mention her ability to connect with so many other organizations and institutions that provide mutually beneficial programming for the museum."