{"nrhp_refnum":"86000437","name":"Washington, Booker T., High School","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"45 Whitehouse Dr. SW","address_restricted":false,"city":"Atlanta","county":"Fulton County","state":"GA","lat":33.75344472750004,"lon":-84.42174113752637,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-03-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art","Black","Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A four-story reinforced concrete and brick public high school at 45 Whitehouse Drive S.W. in Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, built 1922-1924 and designed by architect Eugene C. Wachendorff in a medieval-eclectic style.","why_significant":"It was the first public high school for Black students in Atlanta and became an important cultural institution that produced many community leaders. It is also significant for its medieval-style design from Atlanta's 1920s school building program, for a statue of Booker T. Washington by sculptor Charles Keck, and for a 1928 student mural by Wilmer Jennings. The form also credits its first principal, Charles L. Harper.","narrative":"Booker T. Washington High School in Atlanta was the city's first public high school for Black students, opening in September 1924 after years of lobbying by Black leaders who had supported earlier bond campaigns without receiving a school. Architect Eugene C. Wachendorff designed the four-story reinforced concrete building with brick veneer in a medieval-eclectic style, marked by a five-arch terra cotta entrance and brick corbeled cornice. A 1927 statue of Booker T. Washington by Charles Keck stands at the front, and a 1928 mural by student Wilmer Jennings sits inside the entrance. The school was the only Black high school in Atlanta until 1947, drew students from outside the city, and graduated many professional and civic leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr. Charles L. Harper served as its first principal. Additions in 1938 and 1948 completed the original design, while later gymnasium, theater and vocational buildings were added. The school remains in educational use today.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Eugene C. Wachendorff","architectural_style":"Medieval-eclectic","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Occupied and still in use as a school; condition listed as excellent and altered, with additions made in 1938, 1948, 1952, 1954, 1965 and 1968.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:43.461321-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/86000437.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86000437/5a79b53e3d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86000437/5a79b53e3d-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Marylandstater","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Booker_T._Washington_High_School_in_Atlanta.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Marylandstater</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Booker_T._Washington_High_School_in_Atlanta.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"00000071","name":"Washington Park Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/georgia/washington-park-historic-district-00000071/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93208390","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booker_T._Washington_High_School_(Georgia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7971914"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/fulton-county/washington-booker-t-high-school-86000437/"}