We enjoyed conversing in August 2026 with Vasken Markarian, National Register Historian and Thaddeus Imerman, Media Relations Coordinator for the Texas Historical Commission. We shared the following information via our monthly newsletter which you can access by following this link, and we also wanted to post it directly on our website!
Atlanta Grade School Friends is deeply honored to have secured National Register status from the National Park Service. We received final approval the last week of May 2026.
The process of securing National Register status is a lengthy one that requires in depth research, review by the State Board of Review, application drafts, updates and “tweaks.” It can take a full year, or two. Thanks to Vasken, our application was in excellent order and we were approved. And soon, Atlanta-Miller Grade School will be listed on the website, Texas Time Travel in the “New Deal Projects” section. This will give our historic school greater visibility across East Texas, the State of Texas and beyond, and it will encourage visitors to visit Atlanta to see and learn about the site.
Vasken shares, “One thing I learned about from this nomination was how a local school like this one ties together so many threads of history at the national, state, and local level. In this case, the Great Depression, populist movements, the New Deal, and WPA architecture. There were a lot of different parties and interests coming together to promote educational reform in the 1930s, and that led to architecturally distinct and purpose-built institutional buildings like Atlanta-Miller Grade School, which has become an important local landmark and visual and civic anchor for Cass County.
One aspect of what makes Atlanta-Miller Grade School unique is that it is a rare example of a New Deal-funded public-school buildings in northeast Texas. We found a couple of examples in nearby Karnack, which we used as comparative references to form the architectural significance of the Atlanta-Miller Grade School … but overall, this school was pretty unique in northeast Texas for its association with the WPA (Works Progress Administration).
It was also interesting to learn what the WPA’s design standards were, and how they applied them at the local and regional level in places like Atlanta, Texas. Federal design guidance during the Great Depression set functional and aesthetic goals for its institutional buildings. WPA schools replaced outdated frame structures and introduced consistent design elements such as symmetrical layouts, durable materials, and stylistic references to Art Deco and Classical Revival architecture. Design elements included natural lighting, proper ventilation, and structural permanence, but the WPA also adapted to regional variations in material and detailing. Atlanta-Miller Grade School is an excellent example of this.
The Texas Historical Commission looks forward to being in regular touch with Atlanta Grade School Friends going forward. We love hearing about your commemorations and celebrations, and we are happy to answer your questions. Also, congratulations on the success of the Atlanta Grade School more broadly, with its Texas Historical Marker (2006) and its recent National Register of Historic Places listing, among other achievements. The school is a successful example of historic preservation which is achieved through your collective efforts, including the careful attention to historic rehabilitation, and your educational and cultural resources that bring the story to a wider audience.”
Vasken Markarian, Ph.D.
Vasken obtained a Ph.D. in Latin American History from the University of Texas at Austin in December 2022. He previously earned a B.A. in History and Spanish at CUNY Queens College (2015), and an M.A. in History at the University of Texas at Austin (2017). Early in his career, Vasken worked with the New York Landmarks Conservancy, where he learned about and helped research National Register applications. Atlanta Grade School Friends wishes to thank Vasken for managing our application to the National Park Service from start to finish. We are truly honored!
Thaddeus Imerman
Thaddeus Imerman, Media Relations Coordinator, received his B.A. in Mass Communication from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, and a B.A. in Political Science and Government from the University of Iowa. He has extensive hands-on experience including the Killeen Daily Herald.
The Texas Historical Commission is the state’s official historic preservation agency and it was founded in 1953. Thaddeus shared with us that the agency preserves, operates, and manages 42 state historic sites, the Texas Heritage Trails Program, Texas Main Street Program, Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program, and many more heritage tourism and historic preservation initiatives across the state. The Texas Historical Commission’s mission is to protect and preserve the state’s historic and prehistoric resources for the use, education, enjoyment, and economic benefit of present and future generations. For more information, visit thc.texas.gov.
If you would like to read about how Atlanta-Miller Grade School was saved from demolition, follow this link to the August 2025 newsletter.