Atlanta Public Schools unveiled architectural renderings for a renovated David T. Howard school, once attended by Martin Luther King Jr.
Superintendent Meria Carstarphen commemorated the 50th anniversary of the civil rights leader's assassination with a blog post that showcased two drawings depicting how the district plans to transform the old school into a new Howard Middle School, the future home for Inman Middle School. King and numerous other famous alumni went to the Howard school in the Old Fourth Ward. King attended from 1936 to 1940; the school closed in 1976.
The Atlanta school board is scheduled to vote Monday on a construction management contract with Parrish Construction Group to complete the project at a cost not to exceed $46 million. The district plans to use Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax to pay for the project, whose total cost is roughly $52 million.
In her blog post, Carstarphen touted the renovation as providing "much-needed relief" to Inman overcrowding "while preserving one of our school system's most iconic structures." She said that the Howard renovation will include bio-retention cells to filter surface runoff, pedestrian and bicycle routes from the Beltline Eastside Trail and Freedom Parkway Trail, and additional parking spaces for staff and visitors.
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