Galloway School leader says demolition of historic building necessary in Buckhead

BUCKHEAD, Ga. — The leader of a private school in Buckhead is defending plans to demolish a historic building on campus.

This comes as supporters of the Gresham Building rally to preserve it.

“We are at a critical juncture in the history of The Galloway School,” Fran Galloway, the daughter of school founder Elliott Galloway said.

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She spoke at a news conference Monday across from the school, where supporters of the building held up a banner saying “Do Not Demolish History.”

Galloway said the Gresham Building is iconic, and tearing it down would be shortsighted and disgraceful.

“There are so many possibilities,” she said. “It’s being in a hurry just to have something new and shiny when we’ve got a national treasure here that’s on the national register. How did that happen?”

The Gresham Building was built in 1911 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

It served for decades as an almshouse, also known as a homeless shelter.

In 1969 it became The Galloway School and now houses the high school classrooms and administrative offices.

“And the truth of the matter is, if you live in this building, you work in this building, this building is not designed – nor has it ever been designed – for children,” James Calleroz White, the head of school said.

He said the classrooms are too small, the electrical outlets are overloaded, and the plumbing is antiquated.

“The preservation of the entire building is not something that is feasible,” he said. “This building still has original terra cotta piping in terms of its plumbing.”

The school plans to build new classroom space and preserve pieces of the old building, including fireplaces, doors, and window designs.

“Yes, this building is iconic,” White said. “This building has so many wonderful things that I think it’s had over the years, but the truth of the matter is, it doesn’t actually serve the needs of the kids anymore.”

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However, critics of the project say the building can be saved and incorporated into the new design.

“That’s what we’re trying to find: How to save the school and give them the modernization they’re looking for,” Joe Norley, a supporter of the building who attended Monday’s news conference said. “With the appropriate vision to the future that is the Galloway way, we feel that there is another way and it can happen.”

The school has no timetable for the project.

It’s now in the permitting process with the City of Atlanta, which the head of the school said could be completed by May.

Defenders of the building said they have a petition with more than 1,000 signatures in hopes of stopping the demolition.

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