Although it has undergone several transformations, the structural elements of this building started out as the Grand Opera House, completed in 1888 by the Augusta architectural firm of Story and Cohen, successors to MacMurphey and Story. It served as an opera house, vaudeville theatre and movie theatre before closing in 1921. After a 1922 fire set by an arsonist, wit was rebuilt as the offices of the Georgia and Florida Railroad with a restaurant on the first floor. The architect for the redesigned building was Willis Irvin of Augusta. It later served as the home of Phillips College, and is currently the home of the Jessye Norman School of the Arts. It is also known as 322-326 Ellis Street.