Atlanta-Miller Grade School
The Honor Award for the rehabilitation of Atlanta-Miller Grade School in Atlanta, Texas was presented to Atlanta Grade School Friends at Preservation Texas’s Northeast Texas Regional Preservation Summit in Tyler on September 7, 2023. The nearly 90-year-old school was previously included on Preservation Texas’s Most Endangered Places list in 2006.
"The rehabilitation of Atlanta-Miller Grade School demonstrates the importance of stewarding small town historic school buildings, which often fall victim to neglect," said Evan Thompson, Executive Director of Preservation Texas. "We are proud to be able to share this project with other Texas towns as an example of what can be accomplished by grassroots groups that are dedicated to these special places."
Presented every other year, Preservation Texas Honor Awards recognize outstanding efforts to restore, preserve, rehabilitate or reconstruct historic places that have been individually included on Preservation Texas's Most Endangered Places list or relate to a previous statewide thematic endangered listing. This year’s Honor Awards celebrate the remarkable efforts made by individuals, organizations, and communities to rehabilitate once imperiled historic places, breathing new life into cherished structures while honoring their historical significance and architectural integrity.
From Left to Right: Ron Siebler, Board of Directors, Preservation Texas; Lynne Spivey, Atlanta Grade School Friends; Sue Lazara, Board of Directors, Preservation Texas; Danny Stanley, Atlanta Grade School Friends; Lee Ellen Benjamin, Atlanta Grade School Friends; Conor Herterich, Northeast Texas Program Officer, Preservation Texas
Atlanta-Miller Grade School, located at 106 1/2 West Miller Street, is a unique Public Works Administration school building dating from 1936. Included in the original design were six large classrooms, restrooms, a teacher’s lounge, an auditorium, and administrative office spaces. Additional classrooms were later added on. Atlanta-Miller Grade School remained in use as a school until the mid-1970s, when it became a multipurpose center. From 1990-2000, the former school was used for community storage and the building fell into decline, receiving no maintenance and suffering from severe water damage.
By 2001, the neglected building had become very dangerous and was on the verge of being torn down when a group of former students and supporters banded together to take action. The non-profit organization, Atlanta Grade School Friends was formed in 2003 with the mission of saving the historic school.
As of 2023, Phase One of the organization’s long-range plan has been completed. The huge work effort was accomplished with the help of many dedicated volunteers and generous donations over the course of 20 years. Moving forward, Atlanta Grade School Friends has engaged Architexas to begin planning for a full rehabilitation of the school as a community learning space.
