The college which the Charleston architect, hired to remodel Louis Gourd House, taught at was founded in 1770.
 As a professor at the College of Charleston for over 20 years, he started the School of the Arts whose building is named after him and is honored yearly through the Simons Medal of Excellence. 
 Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest college in South Carolina, the 13th oldest institution of higher learning in the United States, and the oldest municipal college in the country. 
 When the building was acquired by Mr. and Mrs. Louis Gourd in 1939, they quickly hired Charleston architect Albert Simons to plan to remodeling of the building. 
