Martin Elementary School
Also known as: Walter Martin Elementary School
Why it's listed
Martin Elementary School in Bronwood, Georgia, is a one-story, L-shaped brick schoolhouse completed in 1956 for African-American children in the town and surrounding area. Architect Edward Vason Jones of Albany, mostly known for Neo-Classical work, designed it in the International style, with a flat roof, minimal ornamentation and long walls of daylight windows. A 173-foot central hallway connects seven classrooms, a library, offices, storage rooms and a combined cafeteria and auditorium. The school was built as part of the Terrell County school board's building program, which aimed to delay desegregation by providing modern Black schools after the Brown decision. It taught kindergarten through eighth grade, held the town's only library, and served as a gathering place until the county integrated its schools in 1970. More than 1,000 children attended. Since then the building has been vacant apart from a brief use as a nightclub, and its floor plan remains intact.
Significance in brief: It is an intact local example of International-style architecture, designed by an architect better known for Neo-Classical work. It is also an intact mid-20th-century segregated school, built as part of Terrell County's effort to resist integration. The school served Bronwood's Black community until 1970 and was a community focal point.
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 08000397, listed May 12, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 608 Church St., Bronwood |
|---|---|
| County | Terrell County |
| Listed | May 12, 2008 |
| Reference number | 08000397 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1956 |
| Architect / builder | Jones, Edward Vason (architect); Curry, S.J., Company (builders) |
| Architectural style | Modern Movement: International Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Education, Black, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The building is vacant. It was briefly used as a nightclub in the late 1980s and has otherwise been vacant since 1970; the owners hope to restore it as a community center. |
| Acreage | 4 |
| Coordinates | 31.82910, -84.35887 (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 08000397.
- 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.