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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Views of the exterior of Druid Hills High School in Atlanta shown on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. In the plan approved by the DeKalb County school board on Monday, everything but the main building, pictured here, will be demolished in favor of a new school building. (Natrice Miller/ AJC)

Credit: Natrice Miller

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Jo'wan Bellamy taught in the GNETS program for 17 years and recently transferred to Atlanta’s new behavioral program at Crawford Long Middle School. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com