Monticello High School
Also known as: Old Elementary School
Why it's listed
Built in 1922 on College Street in Monticello, this T-shaped brick school was the first county-wide consolidated school in Jasper County. It has two stories over a basement and an auditorium extension at the rear. The exterior uses multicolored face brick with decorative brick panels, a triple stone arch at the center of the east facade, and a pedimented parapet with a terra cotta cartouche. Henry Hunter Jordan, a Monticello native, designed it as his first school. Its construction followed Georgia's post-World War I education reforms, which offered state support to consolidated high schools. Local residents backed an $80,000 bond issue in 1921 with parades and a PTA book drive. The school served as the county's academic center until 1952, then as a city elementary school until 1974. After efforts to demolish it in 1976, a local historical foundation worked to preserve it as a community center, and part of it housed a program for older residents.
Significance in brief: It was the first county-wide consolidated public school for Jasper County, built as part of Georgia's post-World War I push to improve education through state funding for consolidated high schools. It also represents the style of early-twentieth-century educational and municipal architecture. The community campaigned for a bond issue to pay for it.
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 78000989, listed December 14, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | College St., Monticello |
|---|---|
| County | Jasper County |
| Listed | December 14, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78000989 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Henry Hunter Jordan (architect); West Point (Georgia) Iron Works (contractor) |
| Architectural style | Typical early-twentieth-century public-school architecture |
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Closed as a school in 1974; part of the building was in use for a senior meals and recreation program, and a preservation foundation planned restoration and a multi-use community center. A 1977 kitchen fire was repaired in 1978. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Within district | Monticello Historic District |
| Coordinates | 33.30718, -83.68735 (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.
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 78000989.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16895328
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.