Main High School
Also known as: Main Colored School
Why it's listed
Main High School is a hillside campus in Rome, Georgia, built to serve the city's African-American students. Its oldest surviving building is a one-story, red brick Colonial Revival classroom building from 1934, enlarged in 1938-39 with an auditorium and two classrooms designed by Atlanta architect Odis Clay Poundstone. Between 1955 and 1963 the city added six flat-roofed International Style buildings, including a gymnasium, a 1958 high school and elementary school buildings, to relieve chronic overcrowding. The campus was the only public school available to Rome's Black students for about 75 years. It is distinguished from many segregated schools in Georgia because it taught a complete academic curriculum, including English, history, science, math and music, rather than vocational skills alone. Rome's schools began desegregating in 1966, and Main High School closed in 1969. Seven buildings contribute to the district, and four later buildings do not. The campus keeps a high level of historic integrity and is still used for education-related purposes.
Significance in brief: For about 75 years the campus was the only public school available to Rome's Black students, and it offered a full academic curriculum rather than the vocational program common at segregated schools. Its buildings are also argued to be good examples of school architecture, from Colonial Revival in the 1930s to International Style in the 1950s and 1960s. The period of significance runs to 1969, when the school closed after desegregation.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 02001219, listed October 24, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 41 Washington Dr., Rome |
|---|---|
| County | Floyd County |
| Listed | October 24, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02001219 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1934-1969 |
| Architect / builder | Poundstone, Odis Clay (architect); Roberts, J.P. (builder); Townsend, R. L. (builder) |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Colonial Revival; Modern Movement: International Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Education, Black |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The campus still serves education-related uses. The 1934 building is used for storage, the 1958 high school houses a transitional academy and a technology center, the gymnasium is used by a youth club, and the noncontributing elementary school remains in use. |
| Acreage | 15 |
| Coordinates | 34.25778, -85.15421 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 02001219.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.