Southern College of Optometry

Continuing the theme of health sciences schools in Memphis, today’s post is of the Southern College of Optometry. The college is another private institution that sits on the Madison Avenue corridor of the Medical District, just east of UTHSC and BHSU on the other side of I-69/I-240 near downtown. The college was founded by J.J. Horton, an M.D., in 1932. He had been in Kansas City where he practiced and had a school of some sort (I cannot find exact details; it could have been an optometry school). When it opened, it was located at 865 Washington Street in Memphis (now in the hear of the Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital complex). It opened with six students and two faculty members. That original class would graduate in 1934. In 1935, Horton sold the school to Dr. Wilbur Cramer. After WWII, enrollment in the college increased dramatically. By 1950, the college had expanded into six buildings on Washington Street. It also had a clinic nearby on Union Avenue. In 1953, a new clinic building would open at 1245 Madison Avenue. Continued growth and a desire to have central location led to the construction of an 11-story building adjacent to the 1953 clinic at 1246 Madison. That structure is still the school’s home and is pictured below. The college offers the Doctor of Optometry and is one of 23 member institutions of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry. The building houses classrooms, administrative and faculty offices, a student center and cafeteria, and the bookstore. Total student enrollment was 539 in Fall 2020 (the most recent information I could find). The building definitely has a 1970’s vibe going for it!