Carraway Award of Merit: Stanly County School Board
Stanly County School Board was given a Gertrude S. Carraway Award of Merit for its sensitive renovation of a historic Albemarle high school to create the new Central Elementary School.
Each year, Preservation North Carolina presents the Gertrude S. Carraway Awards of Merit to individuals and organizations that have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to promoting historic preservation. The awards have been given since 1975 and are named for the late Dr. Gertrude Carraway of New Bern, a leader in the successful effort to reconstruct the state's colonial capitol, Tryon Palace, in New Bern.
The former Albemarle High School was built in 1924 by North Carolina architect C. C. Hook. Since then, the building has undergone many changes, including a 1936 addition and renovations in 1989 that transformed it into a middle school. In late 2002, its days seemed numbered.
After a bitter community controversy about whether to renovate the existing building or build a new school at the edge of town, the Stanly County School Board voted to renovate the school as the new Central Elementary School. Most elementary schools today are one-story structures with limited outside views and concrete floors, and they are typically built in isolated suburban environments. However, the Stanly County School Board took the opportunity to renovate a beautiful downtown historic building as a setting to engage and educate children.
The 1924 design is a fine example of collegiate gothic architecture, with carved limestone detailing, large windows and solid brick construction. Little and Associates and Onxley Architecture were brought in to take on this 60,000-square-foot renovation. A substantial addition was built with careful attention to respect the details of the original structure.
Interior improvements were also fashioned to complement the 1924 appearance, including the bathroom tile and paneled classroom doors. The auditorium, altered during the 1989 middle-school adaptation, was restored to open up the space and allow natural light to flow through the room.
Such careful planning and attention to aesthetics are not often found in school construction projects. However, the school board recognized the importance of this approach and used it to create a most stimulating and attractive educational space. The new school opened last November with a parade. Preservation North Carolina is pleased to award a 2008 Gertrude S. Carraway Award of Merit to the Stanly County School Board for the renovation of the old Albemarle High School. Principal Melissa Smith accepted the award on behalf of the school board.
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