Historic Gaines Hall in Atlanta’s Vine City neighborhood was severely damaged by fire last week. There’s still no word yet on what caused the fire that gutted the 140-year-old former Morris Brown College building, one of the city’s oldest structures.

The building was sold to the city’s economic development agency, Invest Atlanta, and Friendship Baptist Church after Morris Brown declared bankruptcy. The sale was part of the college’s efforts at getting out of debt.

The director of the Center for Neighborhood and Metro Studies at Georgia State University, Tim Crimmins, discussed the history of Gaines Hall, its ties to African-American history, the damage from the fire and more on “Closer Look.”