Pace Academy - History

History

Pace Academy was founded in Atlanta 1958 by an interfaith group of local community leaders. They envisioned a community open to fresh ideas and debate in the great liberal arts tradition. Although the school is not affiliated with a specific church or religion, it adheres to Judeo-Christian values and places a major emphasis on character development.

Pace Academy is situated on 37 acres in Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood. The school's landmark building, the Castle, was constructed as a private residence in 1932 for the Ogden family. Pace Academy was incorporated on June 30, 1958, with an initial enrollment of 178 students, for the purpose of “training and educating children and operating a school and kindergarten.” Frank Kaley was hired as Pace's first headmaster in 1959. During the period from 1958 to 1962, the Ogden house was renovated to accommodate administrative offices and classrooms, and a playground was developed for the younger children. In 1961, a building was added housing classrooms, a cafeteria, and a library. Athletic fields were established during this time.

In 1964, Pace graduated its first class, with 13 students receiving diplomas. Further improvements to Pace’s athletic facilities were made in 1966 when the school constructed a gymnasium and enlarged the athletic field. This facility was dedicated to the memory of William T. Boyd, who had served as an outstanding president of the Pace Parents Club. In 1971, Bridges Hall was constructed and named in honor of Russell Bridges, who had served as chairman of Pace’s Board of Trustees for 10 years. It housed the Lower School, some Upper School classrooms and the present library. Improvements to the athletic facilities included the addition of a swimming pool and tennis courts.

In 1972, George G. Kirkpatrick assumed leadership of the school. Further additions to classroom facilities were made in 1973, along with a new driveway system and additional parking. With the help of Anne and Mills Bee Lane, the gardens were restored in that year.

Although from its incorporation, Pace was accredited by the Georgia Accreditation Committee for its educational programs, 1973 saw the accreditation of Pace by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

In 1976 the Randall property adjacent to Pace became available and a fundraising drive was launched to purchase the property. First used to house Pace’s Fine Arts programs in art and music, the Randall House offered Pace the possibility of providing separate classroom facilities for the Upper and Lower Schools. With the concurrence of the Atlanta zoning commission and the input of Pace neighbors, a long-range plan for the further development of the Pace campus was approved by the Board of Trustees. This plan called for major facility improvements to be undertaken in three phases: an addition to the Randall House to house the Lower School in one facility, construction of a fine arts center and auditorium, and construction of an additional gymnasium.

In 1981-83, the Keep Pace with Progress campaign was conducted to achieve the first phase of the Pace campus development plan. Almost $3 million was pledged to build the Lower School addition, build a playground adjacent to the Lower School, and to renovate the classrooms vacated by the Lower School program for improved science facilities, computer labs, and an expanded library for Upper School students.

With the completion of this project, the Board of Trustees updated its long-range plan and focused on three priorities for the Inspiring the Best campaign: construction of a fine arts center, expansion and improvement of athletic and parking facilities and increased endowment. This campaign was approved by the Board of Trustees in 1987 and raised $7.2 million.

The opening of the Fine Arts Center on September 18, 1990 inaugurated a new stage in Pace’s development. More than 2,000 people attended the opening celebrations and Pace received great public acclaim for the excellence and beauty of these new facilities. As part of this recognition, the Atlanta Chapter of the American Institute of Architects named the Fine Arts Center as one of ten outstanding architectural additions to the city, featuring it in its 1991 “Architecture in Atlanta” tours.

Peter Cobb was named headmaster in 1994, the same year the Castle was officially named Kirkpatrick Hall, in honor of George G. Kirkpatrick, who had led Pace through its greatest growth.

Following Mr. Cobb’s resignation in 1996, Michael A. Murphy, who had served as head of Lower School for seven years, served as Interim Headmaster until February 1997 when he was named Headmaster.

In the spring of 1997, following a gift of $2 million by the Hugh M. Inman Foundation, the Educating for Life – Pace 2000 capital campaign was launched, with a goal of $16 million. This goal included $7.8 million for the Inman Center, a student activity center with state of the art athletic facilities, a new cafeteria, faculty offices, and additional parking. The Inman Center was opened in January 2000. In addition, the campaign funded new athletic fields and tennis courts, renovated classroom space in the Upper School, and established an endowment supplement of almost $4 million.

During Mr. Murphy’s tenure Pace embarked on a campaign to build a new Middle School building, and out of that the Explore, Connect, Excel, the Campaign for The Middle School was born. After only 16 months the school had raised the necessary $16 million to build the new facility, which houses grades 6, 7, and 8. Additionally, the Board completed a 5-year strategic plan.

In the fall of 2005 Pace welcomed its fifth Head of School, Fred Assaf. Mr. Assaf was installed at the opening of school and Mayor Shirley Franklin was the guest speaker. The Board of Trustees embarked on an ambitious long range plan and master campus plan. These documents, called for in the Strategic Plan, outlined the commitment of Pace to remain a small, family school which educated the whole child.

In 2007 the school resolved longstanding issues with the neighborhood association and entered into an historic agreement which provided for both preserving the small family feel of Pace and expanding the facilities to accommodate a moderate increase in enrollment.

As a part of this plan, Pace realized its need to acquire expanded athletic facilities and acquired two parcels, an eight-acre baseball/softball complex on Warren Road and a 23-acre tract on Riverview Road in Cobb County, which will be built into a track & field facility, a new stadium for soccer, lacrosse and football with seating for 2000, an additional soccer/lacrosse/football field, and a new varsity baseball field.

The Board also authorized SHINE, The Pace Capital Campaign for $32 million that will help build the new athletic facilities, refurbish and add onto the Lower School, and enhance the endowment for faculty.

Institutions, like individuals, are challenged to attain the highest standards of achievement. Just as the school encourages its students to reach their greatest potential, it can also be said that Pace Academy, for more than fifty years, seeks to reach its greatest potential. In this, Pace, like its students, is led by the school’s motto “summum nitens confide,” to have the courage to strive for excellence.

During the summer of 2012, Pace Academy launched "Aim High", a new capital campaign with a purpose of building a new high school. The campaign was led by Elizabeth Richards and Robert Sheft, and had an objective of raising a little over $32,000,000. The building's primary donor was Arthur Blank, who was both the owner of the Atlanta Falcons and a Pace parent; he provided the funds for a third of the building's total cost. It will be named the "Arthur Blank Family Upper School".

Preparation for the new high school began during the summer of 2012, as the lower athletic fields were torn up so that utilities could be installed. On January 24, 2013, Pace put up construction fencing around the lower fields prior to the arrival of temporary buildings/trailers, marking the start of the project. The temporary buildings are to be installed during the spring break of the 2012-2013 school year.