In 1841, Peter Massie, a Scottish planter who had settled in Glynn County, Georgia, left a bequest to Savannah for the education of the poor. The City hired Norris to design this austere, two-story pedimented building after the invested funds had matured. In what appears to have been a planned phased development, the eastern wing was added in 1872 and the western wing in 1886, producing a three-part pavilion plan connected by upper and lower walkways, with playgrounds behind the two wings. Unifying all three pavilions are abstract colossal pilaster strips carrying segmental arches below the cornice. The building served as a public school until 1974, and has remained part of the Savannah Public School system as a museum and learning center for the teaching of local history and architecture. The recent extensive restoration carried out by Sterling Builders and Restoration included correcting sagging queen-post trusses in the attic by means of shoring jacks, a solution devised by David Franchetti of DCF Engineering.