{"nrhp_refnum":"99000552","name":"Griffith School of Music","other_names":["Payne Griffith House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"650 Bonaventore Ave., NE","address_restricted":false,"city":"Atlanta","county":"Fulton County","state":"GA","lat":33.77416247100007,"lon":-84.36122818799998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1999-05-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Performing Arts"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story Craftsman-style brick house at 650 Bonaventure Avenue NE in Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, built in 1910 by Dr. George F. Payne, with a small rear cottage. It later housed the Griffith School of Music.","why_significant":"It is a very intact example of a Craftsman residence, designed to look like an estate and set on a rise with views of the city. It was also home to the Griffith School of Music from 1923 to 1966, which influenced music education in Atlanta and Fulton County schools.","narrative":"Built in 1910 for Dr. George F. Payne, a pharmacist turned physician, this two-story buff-brick Craftsman house on Bonaventure Avenue in Atlanta sits on a rise with a view over the city. A wrap-around porch, porte cochere, granite chimneys and a rear cottage give it the look of an estate despite a modest lot. Inside, nearly all original features survive, including pocket doors, oak mantels, built-in china cabinets, beveled glass and a paneled staircase. The building is also tied to music education. Mary Butt Griffith bought the house in 1923 and ran the Griffith School of Music from it; her children continued the school until 1966. The family's mandolin orchestra method for public schools was recognized by the National Bureau for the Advancement of Music and adopted by the Fulton County school system. Family members and students performed widely, including at the White House during the Roosevelt years. The property was recognized for its architecture and for its role in music education.","period_of_significance":"1910, 1923-1949","architect_builder":"Unknown (original owner/builder Dr. George F. Payne; no architect identified)","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements/Bungalow/Craftsman","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Current function is a bed and breakfast inn; 1970s alterations were removed in preparation for that use.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:42.873614-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/99000552.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99000552/afafe7b576-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99000552/afafe7b576-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Brogers784","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:650_Bonaventore_-_Atlanta_-_March_2013.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:650_Bonaventore_-_Atlanta_-_March_2013.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93208212","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q134348070"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/fulton-county/griffith-school-of-music-99000552/"}