GHAcademy of Atlanta history

In 1947, Rabbi Gross had a vision of creating the first modern Orthodox, dati Zioni, Jewish Day School south of Baltimore.

Pace Academy was incorporated on June 30, 1958, and, in September of that year, welcomed 150 students in kindergarten through seventh grade.

An additional academic building was constructed in 1961, adding classrooms, a cafeteria and a library to the campus, and athletics fields were established.

In 1964, Pace graduated its first class of 13 students.

Despite welcoming families of all faiths, Pace’s student body remained entirely white until 1966, when the Board voted unanimously to admit its first Black applicant, making Pace one of the first Atlanta independent schools to integrate.

An emphasis on specializations within medical professions and increased access to medical information through hospital libraries and conferences reduced the demand for use of the building; leaving it in disuse and disrepair by the late 1970’s.

Kaley retired as headmaster in 1972 and George G. Kirkpatrick assumed leadership of the school.

In 1976, Pace Academy purchased the Randall family property adjacent to the school.

In 1981 the medical society leased the building and property to a non-profit corporation, the Atlanta Medical Heritage, Inc.

The non–profit organization was responsible for raising funds and supervising a planned restoration of the building, completed in 1983.

The Woodward North campus opened in 1990 as Woodward's official satellite school.

Peter Cobb became headmaster in 1994, the same year the Castle was officially named Kirkpatrick Hall, in honor of Headmaster Kirkpatrick, who had led Pace through two decades of extraordinary growth.

Cobb’s tenure as headmaster was brief and, in 1996, Michael A. Murphy, previously head of the Lower School, took over as interim head of school.

The 57,000-square-foot Garcia Family Middle School was completed in August 2004 and included 25 classrooms and labs, a 200-seat natatorium, faculty offices, an assembly hall, and art, music and computer facilities.

In 2007, Pace and the West Paces Ferry Neighborhood Association entered into an unprecedented agreement addressing the interests of both parties and aligned with Pace's desire to preserve its small, family feel while also expanding to accommodate moderate enrollment growth.

In 2008, the Atlanta Medical Heritage Inc. conveyed the Academy of Medicine building and property to the Georgia Tech Foundation Inc. for the benefit of the Georgia Institute of Technology.

The Institute started a 6 million dollar, 18 month renovation in 2010.

In celebration of the building’s 70th Anniversary, on December 11th, 2011 the building re-opened its doors for the Institute and community use.