The English Avenue School is an historic

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

building in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

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. Located in the city's English Avenue neighborhood, the school was built in 1910 and operated until 1995. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2020.

History

The

was built in 1910 to serve the

neighborhood of Western Heights, a predecessor of today's English Avenue neighborhood. Additional construction occurred between 1911 and 1930 as the school's enrollment continued to grow. As part of the system of

school segregation in the United States A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulso ...

, the school was initially only open for

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, but in 1950, due to changes in the neighborhoods demographics, it was changed to an

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

school. On December 12, 1960, the school was the site of a

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after the school's

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had been used for a prayer meeting prior to an anti-segregation protest the previous day. The event has been called "one of the worst racially motivated bombings in the city of Atlanta." The school closed in 1995. Since the school's closing, the building has remained unoccupied. In 2010, the building was bought by the Greater Vine City Opportunities Program, under the leadership of

Mable Thomas Mable Able Thomas (born November 8, 1957) is an American politician serving as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives for District 56. She previously represented District 55, which includes areas immediately west and southwest of Downt ...

, with the intention of converting the building into a

community center Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...

. On March 23, 2020, the building was property was placed on the

Notable alumni

Herman Cain Herman Cain (December 13, 1945July 30, 2020) was an American businessman and Tea Party movement activist within the Republican Party. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Cain grew up in Georgia and graduated from Morehouse College with a bachelor's d ...

Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944), known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer, actress and businesswoman. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys Kn ...

References

{{Atlanta Public Schools African-American history in Atlanta Atlanta Public Schools English Avenue and Vine City National Register of Historic Places in Atlanta School buildings completed in 1910 School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state)

History

Notable alumni

See also

References