The Sandersville School Building Authority was recently awarded a $46,060 Fox Theatre Institute Preservation Grant.
The big check ceremony took place on Wednesday, June 24 at the former Sandersville Elementary School.
Leigh Burns, Director of the Fox Theatre Institute, explained that Preservation Grants are designed to complete projects and develop community-wide participation at the local level.
According to the Sandersville School Building Authority, the grant funds will be used for audio/visual and HVAC upgrades to the auditorium.
The school building was a 1939 Works Progress Administration project as part of the New Deal during Franklin Roosevelt’s administration. The architect for the school was William J. Chase, a well-known architect whose talents and skills can still be seen in courthouses, theaters, schools and other buildings throughout Georgia.
Sandersville School was placed on the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of Places in Peril in 2015.
Since that time, several rehabilitation projects and renovations have taken place at the former school, including a new roof for the structure. They received funding from FEMA-GEMA, OneGeorgia, the Washington Electric Foundation, and local donations.
Last year, the Sandersville School Building Authority (SSBA) was also awarded an $11,525 grant from the Watson-Brown Junior Board, Milledgeville Chapter. The grant was to fund the restoration of the sandstone architectural elements on the front façade of the original 1939 Sandersville School building.
According to the Sandersville School Building Authority, the former school will become a civic/cultural center.
