Former Elementary School Building in GA

College Street School, Hapeville Georgia

Date added: August 08, 2024

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Georgia
School

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The College Street School is a early 20th-century public school design featuring central hallway plans and large windows for light and air. It is unusual for its restrained use of elements of the Craftsman style for a school in 1915. Its window panes, and some use of half-timbered decorations on the front facade, were the only ornamentation used but are elements of the Craftsman movement prevalent at the time. The 1932 additions continued this style. The school was designed in 1915 by Battle and Barili, an Atlanta firm whose partners had worked with some of the more well-known architects of schools in Atlanta at the time. It is a good example of school architecture blending into a neighborhood where a Craftsman-style dwelling would not have been out-of-place, hence the school reflected a similar style, although on an obviously larger scale.

The building was built to be a neighborhood school, and to replace an earlier wooden, and totally inadequate, educational facility. While the first brick school burned only three years after it was constructed (1912-1915), it was quickly replaced with the current central block which represents the hopes for a better education for the white elementary students of Hapeville. It was their only elementary school from 1915 until 1932 when a second school was built. It became a combination elementary school/high school briefly in 1938 until the high school opened in 1939. The school, whose site had been used for educational purposes since 1888, closed in 1970.

Hapeville, Georgia, is a city on the southside of metro-Atlanta that has recently been encroached upon by the Atlanta Airport. Founded by Dr. Samuel Hape (1830-1915), the town's namesake, before 1874, it remains a separate corporate entity in a growing Atlanta. It became a city in 1891.

College Street School sits on property that has been used for educational purposes since 1888 when land was donated for the Hapeville Seminary. In 1892 the land was deeded to the city of Hapeville and the school's name changed to the Hapeville School. In 1911, the mayor and city council of Hapeville agreed to sell the old school to Fulton County for $10,000. They also agreed to tear down the original school and build a "modern" one. Even though it was a new school, it had neither electricity or running water. In 1915, the original two-story brick school, built in 1911, burned.

The hopes of the city were dashed when on the night of September 4-5, 1915, just before the start of the new school year, the entire building burned to the ground:

NEW HAPEVILLE SCHOOL DESTROYED BY FLAMES

The new Hapeville public school was totally destroyed at midnight by a fire which is supposed to have been of incendiary origin. The building, which was brick and cost $12,000, was insured for $5,000.

When discovered by the town Marshall, E.M. Adams, the building was in flames and burned to the ground shortly after. The fire department, which has been organized since the recent installation of the water system, was unable to cope with the flames as the department is supplied so far with only 300 feet of hose. The Atlanta [Fire] department was called upon, but could not respond as the fire was without the [Atlanta] city fire limits.

The fire, it is said, started in the basement. Here plumbers were at work Saturday getting the building in shape for school to commence September 13th. City Councilman W.G. Dunn, when communicated with, while he was actively fighting the flames, was of the opinion that the building was burned either by incendiaries or the flames were accidentally started by gamblers who had slipped into the building for game.

After the 1915 fire, work began immediately to replace the school so that classes could resume as soon as possible. During the interim, students had to go to school in stores and churches.

The new school, the core of the present College Street School, opened in 1915. It was designed by the Atlanta architectural firm of Battle and Barili. During the 1920s, the population of Hapeville tripled, and thus portable classrooms were placed on the school grounds, as shown in a 1925 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map.

In 1932, there was an addition of eight classrooms, a library, an auditorium, and storage areas to the original building. Designed by George Harwell Bond of Atlanta, the additions were on either end of the 1915 block and complimented the original design. At this time, the name of the school was changed to "College Street School" in September, 1932 because the city had built another school, North Avenue School, and thus no school could be called the "Hapeville School".

The 8-10^th grades were added to the elementary school during the 1930s and in 1939 moved out of the College Street School to the newly-built Hapeville High School. During this time, in 1938, the College Street School was divided into elementary and secondary (high) school, with separate principals. It thus had only a brief tenure as the city's white high school. Also in the 1930s, the children at the Georgia Baptist Children's Home began attending the school. The farm at the home supplied the school with vegetables. There was an operative PTA (Parent Teachers Association) during this time that helped conduct a carnival and talent show to raise money for special projects.

During the 1940s, the remaining school students were elementary level. They participated in the World War II efforts by planting a Victory Garden at the school.

The school operated until the 1960s. Integration had come to the school, but several other forces were at work that brought the closing of the school. One was the encroaching Atlanta Airport which took away many

houses and thus students from the school. Then in 1967, the Georgia Baptist Children's Home moved to Palmetto at the far south end of Fulton County, thus withdrawing their students.

The College Street School closed in May, 1970.

A "Commemorative Tea" was held on May 17^th, 1970 to remember the "good old days" when College Street was as active school. After the school closed, it was used first as a Special Education Department, but in recent years has been vacant.

In July 1993, the City of Hapeville and the Hapeville Development Authority became the new owners, after it was purchased from Fulton County.

Building Description

The College Street School is located in Hapeville, a city in south Fulton County, south of the county seat of Atlanta and adjacent to Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport. The school is located just southeast of the main street and railroad track.

The College Street School is a two-story, rectangular, brick building built in 1915 in the Craftsman style. Two-story brick wings and a rear ell were added to each side in 1932 and replicate the original design. The building contains original wooden windows with large panes surrounded by smaller panes from the 1915 design and carried over into the 1932 additions.

The central-hall floorplan allows for all classrooms to have exterior walls. The original wood floors are covered with tile, and the plaster walls and original 30 inch high wainscotting remain. The ornamentation is typically austere for a school building, but exemplifies excellent craftsmanship.

The school is built with solid brick exterior walls, a reinforced concrete foundation, and permanent interior walls. The historical mechanical systems remain and include a steam radiator heating system, and the lighting system.

There are no outbuildings. The school sits in a residential area of town, facing toward the Central Business District one block away.

It is adjacent to the Hapeville First Baptist Church, Missionary House on the west, apartments on the east as well as residences on three sides.

The major change to the 1915 building was the addition in 1932 of eight classrooms, four on each end, and a small library and auditorium ell at the rear. Acoustical tile ceilings were also added, and other fire safety features.