Ocilla Public School
Also known as: Irwin County Elementary School
.JPG){kind=link}
Why it's listed
Ocilla Public School is a one-story, U-shaped school two blocks west of downtown Ocilla in Irwin County, Georgia. Construction began in 1934 and finished in 1936, funded through federal relief programs and built by local workers and prisoners from the county penal system. The stucco building has brick quoins, arched entrances and windows, and a central auditorium seating 700, flanked by two classroom wings around a courtyard. Heart-pine floors, transoms, wainscoting and original auditorium seating survive. Around 1960 a flat-roofed International Style cafeteria and classroom building closed the courtyard to handle growing postwar enrollment. The school replaced an earlier 1904 campus that had become overcrowded, and it reflects the consolidation of rural schools in Georgia. It became Irwin County Elementary School in the early 1950s, was integrated by 1970, and closed in 1987. It was listed for its architecture and its role in local education.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school is an excellent example of Colonial Revival and International Style school architecture in rural Georgia. It also represents Irwin County's effort to provide a modern consolidated school during a period of statewide school consolidation, replacing an earlier, more crowded campus.
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 04001186, listed October 27, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 4th and Alder Sts., Ocilla |
|---|---|
| County | Irwin County |
| Listed | October 27, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04001186 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1934-c.1960 |
| Architect / builder | Parrott, Lauren (architect) |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Colonial Revival; Modern movement: International Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Education |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed current function is vacant/not in use; the school closed in 1987. The interior plan and most interior finishes remain intact. |
| Acreage | 3.5 |
| Coordinates | 31.59470, -83.25363 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 04001186.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q29093433
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.