Plans for site of DeKalb’s first Black public school include museum, amphitheater

The Bruce Street School in Lithonia was the first Black public school in DeKalb County. It was built in 1938 by quarry workers with local granite. The granite walls still stand. On Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024, the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance hosted a fundraising gala to raise money to be used in the revitalization of the school. (Dean Hesse/Decaturish).

The Arabia Mountain Heritage Alliance wants to revitalize the site of the Bruce Street School, the first Black public school in DeKalb County.

The site, now mostly ruins, is at 2449 Bruce St. in Lithonia.

The Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance hosted a fundraising gala at the East DeKalb Senior Center in Lithonia on Feb. 17.