{"nrhp_refnum":"02001290","name":"Colored Memorial School and Risley High School","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1800 Albany St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Brunswick","county":"Glynn County","state":"GA","lat":31.15552727100004,"lon":-81.49044562299997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-11-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Education","Black"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A campus of three historic public school buildings at 1800 Albany Street in Brunswick, Glynn County, Georgia: Colored Memorial School (1923), Risley High School (1936) and I Street Elementary School (1944).","why_significant":"The campus was the principal public school complex for Brunswick's African-American students from the early to mid-20th century. It is significant for education and Black ethnic heritage (Criterion A) and for intact Neoclassical and Stripped Classical school architecture (Criterion C). Risley High School was also a New Deal project built with Public Works Administration funds.","narrative":"Three historic school buildings share a corner lot in a residential neighborhood near downtown Brunswick, on the Georgia coast. Colored Memorial School, a two-story red brick Neoclassical building, opened in 1923 and was named for returning African-American World War I veterans. It was the city's first high school for Black children and included the eleventh and twelfth grades. Risley High School followed in 1936, built with Public Works Administration money and designed by Francis L. Abreu in a Stripped Classical style. It took the name of Captain Douglas Gilbert Risley, the Freedmen's Bureau officer who helped secure funds for the first public Black school on the site around 1870. A one-story school with a cafeteria was added in 1944. Together the buildings show the long history of African-American education in Brunswick and retain many original exterior details, including pilasters, large window openings and an original auditorium. Three later buildings, a 1980s media center and two sheds, do not contribute. The campus is still used for schooling.","period_of_significance":"1923-1952","architect_builder":"Francis L. Abreu, Public Works Administration-Architect. Risley High School","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals/Classical Revival/Neoclassical Revival; Other/Stripped Classical","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"The buildings continue to be used for educational purposes; the complex functions as the Risley Alternative Learning Center Campus, and Colored Memorial School houses a kindergarten program.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:42.977636-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/02001290.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001290/1364024368-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001290/1364024368-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Ebyabe","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GA_Brunswick_Colored_Mem_School01.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Ebyabe</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GA_Brunswick_Colored_Mem_School01.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93208421","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colored_Memorial_School_and_Risley_High_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16950098"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/glynn-county/colored-memorial-school-and-risley-high-school-02001290/"}