Public Meeting showed great support for Saving School

Thanks to everyone who came out in the rain to show support for saving the former Canton Grammar School! Our speakers were Mark McDonald, Pres. & CEO of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, Jordan Poole, Field Service Representative with the Georgia Trust, and architect Jack Pyburn. They spoke of the need to preserve our historic buildings, and how economically viable it is to do so. Mr. McDonald mentioned the sustainability of preservation, how recycling and reusing buildings is environmentally conscious. Mr. Poole spoke of grants and stimulus funds that are available for renovating historic schools, and Mr. Pyburn (the architect for the Canton High renovation), spoke about how solidly the building was constructed. Unfortunately, of the 80 people that attended, none were School Board members. We will continue in our efforts to meet with Dr. Petruzielo and the School Board, and encourage votes for this building and others on our Cherokee Sites Worth Saving list.

Public Meeting to Support Saving Grammar School

Join us on Thursday, August 27 at 7:00 pm to show support for saving the historic Canton Grammar School. Mark McDonald, the Executive Director and CEO of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation will be speaking, as well as architect Jack Pyburn. We need all of the support we can get to try and brainstorm about ways to preserve this important landmark.
Please come and spread the word!

Public Meeting
August 27, 7:00pm
at the Historic Canton Theatre
171 E. Main Street

Cherokee Tribune Article

The Historical Society and the Grammar School made the paper! Please let us know what you think!

It's Elementary!

Historic preservation makes sense in large measure because historic preservation makes dollars and cents, but it also saves dollars and cents. Historic preservation is a rational and effective economic response to overconsumption. To make a new brick today to build a building on a site where there is already a building standing steals from two generations. It steals from the generation that built the brick originally by throwing away their asset before its work is done, and it steals from a future generation by using increasingly scarce natural resources today that should have been saved for tomorrow.

Don Rykema

The Economics of Rehabilitation [1997]xv

Recently we were made aware that the Cherokee County Board of Education was exploring the option of demolition for the former Canton Grammar School. This imposing edifice on Academy Street was built in 1914 to replace Etowah Academy, the first school in Canton. It originally played host to grades 1-11 until Canton High was constructed in 1924. The grammar school underwent many changes over the years until the elementary classes left in 1974 for their new building on Marietta Highway. The school reopened two years later, in 1976, as part of the Bicentennial Celebration for the Department of Education.

Now we believe that it is better to repair than to replace and we urge you to join us in our efforts to save this school!

We will be hosting a booth at this Saturday's farmers market in the square in downtown Canton with a petition form to show our support for saving this building and to create a dialogue with the community and the school board. If you would like to share your thoughts or take part, please come by and visit our booth. We want to see you and, more importantly, we want to hear you!

Stefanie and Meghan