Eleanor Roosevelt School
Also known as: The Eleanor Roosevelt Vocational School for Colored Youth; Eleanor Roosevelt Rosenwald School
Why it's listed
Eleanor Roosevelt School is a one-story, T-shaped red brick schoolhouse on about six acres on the outskirts of Warm Springs, Georgia, in the African-American community of Leverette Hill. Built in 1936, it follows the Rosenwald Fund's Five Teacher Community School Plan, with four classrooms, an industrial room, a library or office, and a rear auditorium. A flat-roofed lunchroom building was added in the early 1950s. The school was the 5,358th and last built with Rosenwald support, finished four years after the fund stopped building schools. A Works Progress Administration grant revived the long-delayed project, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt personally covered a funding shortfall and gave the keynote address at the March 1937 dedication. It served the community until 1972. The interior retains wood floors and beadboard walls, though the original windows were later filled with brick. It is recognized for its education, ethnic heritage, social history and architectural importance.
Significance in brief: It was the 5,358th and final school built with Rosenwald Fund support, completed in 1936 years after the fund ceased operations. It was built at the urging of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who helped secure its funding and dedicated it in 1937. It is also a good example of the fund's Five Teacher Community School Plan.
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 10000019, listed May 3, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Parham St. at Leverette Hill Rd., Warm Springs |
|---|---|
| County | Meriwether County |
| Listed | May 3, 2010 |
| Reference number | 10000019 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1936-1960 |
| Architect / builder | Fletcher B. Dressler, architect; Samuel L. Smith, architect (both prepared designs for the Julius Rosenwald Fund's Community School Plans) |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Education, Black, Social History, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as work in progress; the school operated from 1937 until 1972, the original windows were bricked in during the 1970s, and the lunchroom addition has deteriorated from exposure. |
| Acreage | 6 |
| Coordinates | 32.89908, -84.68480 (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 10000019.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q106216200
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.