A fierce debate is swirling around the fate of the historic 113-year-old Gresham Building on the campus of the Galloway School in Buckhead’s Chastain community, pitting the esteemed private school against some of its own alumni and preservationists in the posh neighborhood.
The building, which originally served as a Fulton County Almshouse for the poor and became part of the Galloway School with its founding in 1969, is inadequate and can’t be saved, Galloway leaders said. There’s no way to add onto the current structure, they said, because there’s simply no room on the small campus, which is bordered by Chastain Park.
Administrators have submitted a request to city of Atlanta zoning officials for demolition of the structure and construction of a new, larger building in its place. But a coalition of preservationists and some Galloway alumni are appealing for renovation of the landmark, saying the destruction of the building would be like ripping the heart out of the school.
“It would be a tragedy,” said Charlie Galloway, a son of the school’s founder.
The head of school said there is no other option, given problems with the old building.
“It all comes down to what we need to do that’s best for our kids,” said James Calleroz White. “It’s about giving all of our students the spaces they need and deserve to study and learn, providing them with a safe environment.”
A meeting of the city of Atlanta’s Neighborhood Planning Unit for that area is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Atlanta Speech School auditorium, 3160 Northside Parkway, on the issue. The NPU’s recommendation will then go to the city’s Zoning Review Board for consideration.
Steeped in history, and showing it
The Gresham Building, on the National Register of Historic Places since 2014, is the first building one sees when entering the campus.
The neoclassical revival building, with its red brick exterior and four tall white columns, was built in 1911. Thousands of students have learned within its walls over the years.
The school has always been ”radically different,” according to its history and mission statement. It was founded by educator Elliott Galloway, a Moultrie native who served as principal of Westminster middle school before becoming headmaster of Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School. He wanted to create a joyful and challenging learning experience in which “students would want to seek it for the rest of their lives,” according to the school’s website. A key component of learning should be about building relationships and partnerships, Galloway believed.
Credit: Elissa McCrary
Credit: Elissa McCrary
At a time when segregation academies were proliferating throughout the South, Galloway wanted to foster a racially inclusive environment. Three children of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. attended Galloway, with Martin Luther King III graduating from Galloway in 1975.
Today, the school has 750 students aged preschool through grade 12 and 105 faculty members. About one-third of its enrollment are students of color, according to its website.
The Gresham Building now houses Galloway high school classrooms and administrative offices.
In White’s view, a new building will support Galloway’s mission by better serving students — and by ensuring safety and access.
“Currently, there is no central heat or air conditioning in the building, no firewalls, and very limited accessibility to the building and that is in the back of the school.” White said. In addition, he said the foundation is sinking, the walls are cracking, and the electrical systems can’t handle a lot of computers. The elevators are too small for paramedics to maneuver a stretcher, should an emergency arise.
The school doesn’t need state or federal permission to demolish the building, Galloway officials said.
Galloway School leaders announced a plan in October to demolish the building and replace it with a new building that would be nearly twice the size of the original structure. The school is seeking rezoning for the new building and revision of a special use permit to allow for increased capacity.
The Galloway Alumni Council unanimously resolved to endorse and support the school’s plan.
The pushback came fast and hard. A group called Galloway Alumni Supporters for Preservation, or GASP, began a petition drive. It now has more than 1,700 signatures, the group said. Two of Elliott Galloway’s children, Charlie Galloway and his sister Fran Galloway, have signed the petition. But in a video on the school’s website, Elliott’s son, Jeff, says, “Elliott Galloway said it’s not about the facilities. It’s not about any particular thing we have. It’s about the community of learners.”
Alumni divided
Marthame Sanders, class of 1988, said it’s time to let the building go.
“We, the Galloway community, have squeezed an extended life out of that old building,” said Sanders. “And now comes the time to say goodbye to it and make way for a new building that enables our mission moving forward.”
Not all alumni agree.
Jane Norley, a 1976 Galloway alumna and a leader in the efforts to save the Gresham Building, said it can be successfully renovated and at a lower cost than demolition and rebuilding.
“The Galloway administration is simply wrong that the renovation cost is prohibitive,” said Norley.
David Finehirsh, a 1983 Galloway graduate and a principal in a real estate and development firm in New York, said the building could be adapted — for far less money, although the school isn’t sharing figures.
“Fundamentally, the strategy of adaptive reuse of older buildings with ‘solid bones,’ as Gresham has, is always less expensive than building a new building,” said Finehirsh. “The upgraded systems and facilities that Galloway requires can certainly be incorporated in a restoration.”
Finehirsh says he has created a plan incorporating the Gresham Building that will cost $3 million less to construct than the Galloway plan, which he said would cost $36 million; Galloway has not provided an estimated cost of its proposed project and would not confirm Finehirsh’s estimate.
Credit: Ben Hendren
Credit: Ben Hendren
Meanwhile, White says many iconic features of the Gresham Building would be preserved and installed in the new building, including the unique wood-panel doors going into the classrooms, granite thresholds to some of the rooms, the large stone steps leading into the building, transoms above the doors, the large window in the front of the building and fireplaces that are in the classrooms. He said experts have been to the school to help identify historic pieces that will be saved.
“We will definitely make the history of the Gresham Building a meaningful part of the new building,” said White. “But the bottom line for me is what is best for the kids, looking at what our students need now and in years to come, and determining how can we best meet those needs.”
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