The Charles L. Blount Center
In 1988, the City of Gainesville deeded to the Santa Fe College Endowment Corporation the Old Train Depot on N.W. 6th Street for the purpose of establishing an educational center that would be accessible to those living in and around the downtown area. Renovation of the old train station was the responsibility of the Endowment Corporation. All funds for this project came from the private sector and involved the establishment of a major steering committee composed of approximately 20 important business and community leaders who served as "ambassadors of good will" throughout the community.
The Blount Center opened in 1990 in the renovated 6th Street railroad depot offering over 50 college courses for A.A. and A.S. degree programs during the fall term, and later expanded in 1993 with the addition of the renovated Gainesville Gas Co. Building, and again in 2006 with the new Blount Classroom Building.
What once served as the main source of transportation for tourism and agricultural products, now stands Santa Fe College’s Blount Center. Mirroring the Old Train Depot, the newly renovated building was transformed into an outreach and educational facility, housed in a historically African-American neighborhood in the downtown Gainesville area. The building's development was inspired by the need to provide an educational facility within the downtown complex that would serve the existing and future populations.
Meeting the demands of the Blount Centers growing student population gave rise to the development of the Charles L. Blount General Classroom Building. Officially opening in January 2006, the educational center offered its first academic schedule to include: courses towards an associate of art and sciences degree programs, prerequisites for health sciences and business programs, adult education, and academic advising.
The General Classroom Building underwent renovations in 2017 and was transformed into a general education center with an inclusive learning lab. Services offered are to include: computer lab access, printing, and tutoring.
The Blount Center expansion project, scheduled to begin in Spring 2020, will advance economic development in the college’s service district through the growth of business and IT programs, increased access to higher education for the citizens of East Gainesville, and entrepreneurial activities in downtown Gainesville. Designed as a state-of-the-art education center, the new campus will become an epicenter for preparing students to enter today’s high-tech workforce. By expanding the downtown center into a full-fledged campus, SF will create a synergy of business, technology and entrepreneurial opportunities for its students.