The school was built in 1910 to serve the Atlanta neighborhood of Western Heights, a predecessor of today's English Avenue neighborhood.[1] Additional construction occurred between 1911 and 1930 as the school's enrollment continued to grow.[2] As part of the system of school segregation in the United States, the school was initially only open for White Americans, but in 1950, due to changes in the neighborhoods demographics, it was changed to an African American school.[1] On December 12, 1960, the school was the site of a bombing after the school's auditorium had been used for a prayer meeting prior to an anti-segregation protest the previous day.[3] The event has been called "one of the worst racially motivated bombings in the city of Atlanta."[2] The school closed in 1995.[1][3]
Since the school's closing, the building has remained unoccupied.[4] In 2010, the building was bought by the Greater Vine City Opportunities Program, under the leadership of Mable Thomas,[1] with the intention of converting the building into a community center.[3] On March 23, 2020, the building was property was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.[4]
