Columbus High School
Also known as: Eleventh Street School; Adult Education Center
Why it's listed
Completed in 1898 at 320 11th Street in Columbus, Georgia, this brick school served as the city's first permanent public high school. It was known as Columbus High School for nearly 30 years, until a second, more elaborate high school was built in the mid-1920s. After that it was called Old Columbus High School or Eleventh Street School, and it later housed elementary grades as well as special and adult education classes. The two-story Georgian Revival building rises over a raised granite basement and has red brick walls, an 11-bay front, a central arched doorway, pilasters and a pediment over the entrance. A central hall runs the length of the building with classrooms off it. Lockwood Brothers designed it and Barlow Brothers built it. Earlier high school grades had met in Female Academy buildings on the site until an 1894 fire. The building is still used by the school system for adult education classes and stands in a commercial district.
Significance in brief: It was built as Columbus' first public high school and the city's first permanent high school building. It is also considered a good example of the variety of building styles in Columbus around the turn of the century, with Georgian symmetry and simple detailing that differ from nearby commercial and residential styles.
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 80001157, listed September 29, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 320 11th St., Columbus |
|---|---|
| County | Muscogee County |
| Listed | September 29, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80001157 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Lockwood Brothers, Architects; Barlow Brothers, Builders |
| Architectural style | Georgian Revival |
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still part of the school system, used as an Adult Education Center with night and day classes; described as in fair condition. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 32.46652, -84.98795 (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 80001157.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q64510335
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.