{"nrhp_refnum":"06000959","name":"Highland School","other_names":["Ninth Ward School Building","J.S. Candler Public School"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"978 North Ave., NE","address_restricted":false,"city":"Atlanta","county":"Fulton County","state":"GA","lat":33.77304311300003,"lon":-84.35527089599998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2006-11-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Education"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story red brick former elementary school at 978 North Avenue NE in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood of Atlanta, built in 1911 to designs by Edward E. Dougherty, with an auditorium added in 1929 and a classroom wing in 1937.","why_significant":"It is significant in architecture as a good example of an early 20th century in-town public elementary school in the Classical Revival style, retaining its original form and terra cotta detailing. It is also significant in education as the neighborhood school for the 9th Ward from 1911 to 1972, and as a work of architect Edward E. Dougherty.","narrative":"Highland School is a two-story red brick former elementary school at 978 North Avenue NE in Atlanta's Poncey-Highland neighborhood. Atlanta's public school system bought the land in 1910, and the cornerstone was laid in June 1911. Architect Edward E. Dougherty, an Atlanta native trained at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, designed the Classical Revival building with terra cotta cornices, brick quoins, a stepped parapet and raised lettering reading Highland School. An auditorium was added in 1929, and a four-classroom wing followed in 1937 with Works Progress Administration help. The school served kindergarten through sixth grade, initially for white children only, until it closed in 1972. The school system then used it as offices until the late 1990s. It has since been converted into 30 condominiums. The exterior still looks much as it did in 1937, with original wood windows intact. It was listed for its architecture and for its role in local public education.","period_of_significance":"1911-1956","architect_builder":"Dougherty, Edward E. (1876-1943), architect, of Atlanta, GA.","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Rehabilitated into 30 condominiums, known as the Highland School Lofts; previously used as offices by the Atlanta school system until the late 1990s.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:43.252472-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/06000959.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/06000959/1c90ea4941-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/06000959/1c90ea4941-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Brogers784","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Highland_School_-_Atlanta.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Brogers784</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:Highland_School_-_Atlanta.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93208220","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q141758399"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/fulton-county/highland-school-06000959/"}