Tag Archives: Architecture of Lauren Parrott

Ocilla Community House, 1939

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The Ocilla Community House was built between 1938-1939 as a project of the City of Ocilla and the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a New Deal agency. A. S. Harris served as chairman of the building committee with A. T. Fuller, A. G. Shivers, and W. A. Tankersley, Jr. Claude McNeil was mayor of Ocilla at the time. Herman Hall, W. B. Hawes, Otto Griner, W. H. Simms, and T. A. Crouch served on the city council. The architect, Lauren Parrott (1901-1973), also designed another New Deal project, the Ocilla High School. Parrott built several public buildings and homes in the area.

The Community House has hosted numerous social gatherings, meetings, and school dances, as well as other events, in its 86 year history, and continues to serve its original purpose.

Note: This replaces a post which originally appeared on 28 January 2009.

Harvey & Lydia Jay House, 1934, Fitzgerald

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Harvey and Lydia Jay commissioned local architect Lauren Parrott to design this home in 1934. It was built for $5000. Mr. Jay was a well-respected Fitzgerald attorney for many years and also served as mayor. Thanks to his daughter, Lydia, for the history.

South Main-South Lee Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Ocilla Public School, 1936

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A two-story brick school house and two-story brick teacher’s home were originally located on this lot. Two dormitories for students who lived in the county and went to school in Ocilla during the week were also located here. None of those structures survive. The original school taught grades one through eleven, and as the student population grew, the teacher’s house was converted for use as a grammar school. By the early 1930s, these buildings weren’t large enough to accommodate increasing numbers of students and in 1933 they were demolished to make way for the present structure. Lauren Parrott, of Fitzgerald, was the architect. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) began the project and it was finished by the WPA. While the new school was being constructed, classes were held in the courthouse, city hall, and Methodist and Baptist churches. The school was built between 1934 and 1936. For its first twenty years, it housed the elementary and high schools. By 1952, a new high school was built a few blocks away and this became the elementary school. It served that capacity until 1987.

National Register of Historic Places