Atlanta Public Schools celebrated a major moment in the massive renovation project to reopen the childhood school attended by Martin Luther King Jr.

The district on Friday held a “topping out” ceremony, a tradition in the construction industry that takes place when the highest beam of a building is put in place.

APS is undertaking a $52 million renovation of the David T. Howard Building in the Old Fourth Ward.

The former school has been shuttered for decades, but the district plans to reopen it in the fall of 2020 as a middle school.

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Wade Roberts (center), a Decatur parent with children in three of the city schools, addresses concerns  with the possibility of a K-2 school closing. (Daniel Varnado for the AJC)

Credit: Daniel Varnado/For the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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Rose Scott signals as Closer Look goes on air in the WABE studio. An Atlanta resident left WABE a $3 million donation, a boost after WABE lost $1.9 million in annual funding from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. (Ben Gray / AJC file)

Credit: Ben Gray