Miller Grade School continues to impress

Those that are following the progress of Miller Grade School continue to be impressed with the restoration process. During the month of December, those that drove by the school received a welcome sight of a Christmas tree in the window.

Atlanta Grade School Friends recently interviewed the new architect helping to restore Atlanta- Miller Grade School in their monthly newsletter. It was reported there that he was impressed with the work done so far in restoring the building for community use, according to AGSF Board’s December Newsletter.

In the interview, ARCHITEXAS Senior Principal Architect Stanley O. Graves was asked for his professional opinion of Atlanta-Miller Grade School from an architectural and historical standpoint.

“I am very impressed with the current condition of Atlanta-Miller Grade School,” Graves said. “It is evident that much good and thoughtful work has been done over the last few years. Most importantly, the work undertaken has been done in the right sequence resulting in a weathertight exterior shell and properly graded and drained site ready for future phases to restore the interior and bring community uses back to the facility.”

The grade school is historically considered a WPA-era, or Works Projects Administration-era building. This era consists of buildings or architecture built during the Great Depression, under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. Graves was asked by the association if there were any other WPA-era buildings in Texas that he could compare to the grade school.

“Coincidently, I grew up next door to a WPA school building that reminds me very much of the Atlanta building,” Graves said. “It was built in Sharp, Texas in 1936 and has a Classical style and utilizes a very similar color of brick. It has always meant a lot to me since my father worked on its construction as a young man during the depths of the Great Depression when work in our little farming community was very hard to come by.”

The newsletter said the association hopes that once the grade school is fully restored, it will be made into a fully functional community center, with the installation of new tech, and followed up their interview by asking Graves his thoughts about historic buildings like the grade school “that are maintained as historic properties, but adapted for contemporary purposes like educational programs, workforce development and community events of all kinds.”

Graves said he finds it very important to rehabilitate historic buildings for contemporary uses.

“We are able to upgrade the systems and technologies of these landmark properties to be just as useful and accommodating as any new building but with the added benefit of utilizing a former public school that has such strong emotional and historical connections to the local community,” Graves said. “A true ‘win-win’ if ever there was one.”

Graves has over 42 years of historic preservation experience, according to the Atlanta Grade School Friend’s newsletter. He joined ARCHITEXAS in 2013 as a senior principal. He is also the former director of the Architecture Division and Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer of the Texas Historical Commission.

“As the director, he created and administered the nationally acclaimed Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program, which awarded over $245 million to 83 historic county courthouse projects,” Atlanta Grade School Friends wrote in their December newsletter.

“Stan served as the agency’s liaison for the restoration of the Texas State Capitol and Grounds, and the Texas Governor’s Mansion.”

The newsletter also stated Graves and his 14-member staff “approved, consulted on, or provided grants for over $2 billion dollars” in preservation activity in the state.

“Atlanta Grade School Friends is honored to have Stan guiding our restoration efforts,” the newsletter said.

For more information on ARCHITEXAS projects, check out their Website at architexas.com/.

You can also subscribe to Atlanta Grade School Friends youtube page by searching them on Youtube or check out the following link: https://youtu. be/7OeCJ_Yh8bA to view an interesting and thoughtful video report about the many accomplishments of Atlanta Grade School Friends this year.

Those thinking of making a tax-deductible charitable donation to the restoration cause for Atlanta-Miller Grade School can reach Atlanta Grade School Friends by mail at P.O. Box 851, Atlanta, Texas 75551.

To donate online, visit their Website at atlantagradeschoolfriends.org/,. Anyone with questions or comments can email the board association at atlantagradeschoolfriends@ gmail.com. Community and board members within the Atlanta Grade School Friends group have worked very hard the past year, making this a labor of love in giving back to their community with the restoration for community use.