{"nrhp_refnum":"80001243","name":"South Georgia College Administration Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"College St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"McRae","county":"Telfair County","state":"GA","lat":32.06816306800005,"lon":-82.91013115099997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-10-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick administration building with an attached auditorium wing, tower and attic level, in the 900 block of College Street, McRae, Telfair County, Georgia. It was built in 1892-93 as the first building of South Georgia College; the architect is unknown.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is significant in architecture as the main building of a co-educational college sponsored by the Methodist Church, with plain brick detailing reflecting the church's un-ostentatious approach. It is significant in education for the role the school played in the South Georgia Conference of the Methodist Church, which chose McRae as the college site in 1892.","narrative":"Built in 1892 and opened in January 1893, this two-story brick building was the first and, at the start, only building of South Georgia College in McRae. The Methodist Church's South Georgia Conference sponsored the co-educational school, and McRae won the location vote in 1892. The building cost $20,000 and originally held eight large classrooms plus rooms for art, music, reading and a library. Its plain brick design reflects the church's modest approach to education. A recessed two-column entrance, a central tower and an attached auditorium with wood-and-steel trusses are among its features. The college grew to include dormitories, a science hall and other buildings, but closed after the 1927-28 term when the Conference withdrew support. The building was sold to the local school district in 1929, served as the high school until the 1960s, then housed primary grades. In 1979 it passed to local historical and arts organizations. The auditorium's acoustics have drawn praise from visiting musicians.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899 (specific date 1892)","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Late Victorian school building with simple details; no particular stylistic elements","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition listed as good and altered. The auditorium is still used for entertainment functions, and two rooms are used for primary grades. The title was transferred in December 1979 to a historical society and an arts association.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:41.474304-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/80001243.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001243/2774cf5390-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001243/2774cf5390-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Bubba73 (Jud McCranie)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:South_Georgia_College_Administration_Building,_McRae,_GA,_US.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Bubba73 (Jud McCranie)</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:South_Georgia_College_Administration_Building,_McRae,_GA,_US.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93209590","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telfair_Center_for_the_Arts","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q43080791"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/telfair-county/south-georgia-college-administration-building-80001243/"}