Barton Academy, Greek Revival education building in downtown Mobile, United States

Barton Academy is a three-story brick building on Government Street, its brick stuccoed and scored to resemble ashlar stone. A two-story pedimented portico of six Ionic columns fronts the central block, topped by a low hipped roof and a domed cupola ringed by 28 Ionic columns. Plain three-bay sections and pilastered east and west blocks flank it.

Barton Academy was named for Willoughby Barton, the Mobile legislator whose 1826 act created Alabama's first school board. The board bought the block between Government, Cedar, Conti and Lawrence Streets for $2,750 in 1830, and construction ran from February 13, 1836 to January 1839, funded by $50,000 in lottery money, a $15,000 municipal loan and private donations. The school closed during the Civil War; Girls High School reopened in 1865 and Boys High School in 1870, both staying until Murphy High School opened in 1926. It housed the county school system's central office from the 1960s until 2007, and after a $14 million restoration begun in June 2020 it reopened in August 2021.

The building takes its name from Willoughby Barton, the Mobile legislator whose 1826 act created the Board of School Commissioners of Mobile County, Alabama's first education board. After the 1852 reorganization it reopened as a public school, and the Girls High School returned in 1865, followed by the Boys High School in 1870.

The building sits prominently on Government Street in the downtown area, making it easy to locate and approach on foot. Keep in mind that the interior spaces are actively used, so visiting hours and access may vary depending on ongoing programs and events.

Only the interior of the rotunda beneath the dome survives in its original condition and layout; the rest of the interior was altered by later additions. The dome itself is topped by a lantern modeled on the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates in Athens.