ATLANTA — A historic building at an Atlanta school has been demolished, sparking outrage among residents and local historians.
Gresham Hall at The Galloway School on Chastain Park Avenue was torn down on Thursday.
The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation released a statement condemning the demolition.
"This part of our history has now been erased forever as a result of Galloway’s disregard for the historic integrity of their own campus," Georgia Trust President and CEO W. Wright Mitchell said in the statement.
According to Georgia Trust, they and several other historic preservation organizations, including Buckhead Heritage and the Atlanta Preservation Center, offered to assist Galloway in exploring alternatives to demolition.
"Sadly, those offers and public pleas fell on deaf ears, and Galloway demolished the building," Mitchell said in the statement.
The building, built in 1911, was originally known as the Haven Home. In February 2014, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was designed in the Neoclassical Revival style by Atlanta architecture firm Morgan and Dillon. According to Georgia Trust, it was part of Fulton County’s early efforts to provide institutional care for elderly and indigent residents, serving as an almshouse until 1963. The building was later leased by Elliot Galloway in 1969 to form the present private school.
