Gilbert Academy and New Orleans University: Historic Black learning institutions

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Gilbert Academy and New Orleans University: Historic Black learning institutions

Where De La Salle High School currently sits on St. Charles Avenue once stood two institutions dedicated to educating Black students: New Orleans University and Gilbert Academy. New Orleans University was chartered in 1873 by the Methodist Church and operated by Freedman’s Aid and Southern Education Society, according to Preservation in Print. In 1889, the university built a five-story, steam-heated Gothic Revival brick building at 5138 St. Char…