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 From left to right: Stephen Onxley (Architect), Vikki Coggins (Albemarle Downtown Development), Melissa Smith (Principle), Mr. Smith. For more information about the Carraway Award of Merit , visit the Preservation North Carolina website;
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The history of the new Central Elementary School, which
was originally Albemarle High School, was built in 1924 with 12 sheets of
drawings, and was designed by Architect The future leaders of Albemarle were taught the most basic skills for life in this new high school. The young men took a course in “shop”, which helped them hone skills that would enable them to care for their homes and their businesses; young women learned how to cook and also Home Economics. Football, basketball and prom dances created lifelong memories. In the new building, solid, four brick thick walls and carved limestone detailed a school that we are proud of. Many were also proud of serving for three decades as a high school; the building was transformed into a middle school in 1959. Air conditioning was introduced in a very industrial way with little or no care of the original gothic style. The gym and classroom addition from 1936 has all the look of a modern movement with simplified precast concrete detailing to match the carved limestone. Reusing the existing structure with the required addition for making the building an elementary school challenged the Architect to think outside the typical “school box”. Little Diversified Group and Onxley Architecture solved the problem by studying an earlier project by Jim Asbel, who was commissioned to do a study showing how the building could be saved. Mr. Asbel opposed the idea of making the basement the first floor by digging out the earth around the building. The 37,000 square foot addition to the existing 60,000 square foot building carries the look of the top two floors of the original 1924 building. The new entrances are defined by canopies on both 3rd and 4th Streets. The first grade classes are able to exit directly outside from their classrooms to the playground. The next challenge was to enlarge the existing classrooms from 600 SF to 900 SF. The existing alley between the 1924 building and 1936 classroom addition was made into a 12’ wide corridor with skylights and light wells to the first level. The old corridor became a part of the old classrooms. The new classrooms along with the old alleyway are brick faced and this look is carried into the new school. Many of the old spaces have been restored to their original purpose and others have a new life as something more fitting to define the look for an elementary school. The 1924 ground level gym was replaced with a new one in the 1936 addition. From 1936 to the present renovation, the tall space of the old gym was used as a band hall and weight room. The space is now a “state of the art” media center. The woodworking shop was made into a classroom and now has been given larger windows, making the room a modern art classroom. Across the hall, the 1924 kitchen and restrooms have been made into a modern day computer room. The 1936 gym has been updated with air-conditioning for the first time and its beautiful brick work has been restored to a natural finish, where it was once painted blue. All of the windows were changed from wire glass to glass block, which allows the light to come in and the children to play throwing balls up against it if they so wish. The gym ceiling has been insulated and has a white acoustical panel. The gym floor has been replaced with a state of the art flooring system to protect people from hard falls. It has a rubber cushion built it. The gym entrance has a space set aside for a Hall of Fame for all of the great coaches and athletes who lived out their dreams in this space. The second floor of the old 1924 building has the old auditorium restored with its old balcony. Both the stage and balcony have been restored just like it was when talking movies were a big deal. Both have handicap and handicap seating. When restoring the auditorium, beautiful brickwork was discovered. Stanly County Schools asked that the brickwork be left exposed to show the great craftsmanship that was done by the great grandfathers who built this space. All of the windows were replaced in 1989; the windows in the 1924 auditorium were restored to their original profiles. This time they’re insulated and filter the sunlight. The third floor has been restored in the same size as in 1924 and 1936. The newest space is the teachers training room that opens up to two other spaces for receptions. The spaces/classrooms are connected by a pair of four foot doors pocketed into the walls. The school is not presently using the 3rd floor on a daily basis. We like to call the 3rd floor “the trailers”. Every time a school is completed, the school has to add temporary trailers for the overflow of students. The 3rd floor was designed for future growth. Someday, in the near future, 4th and 5th graders will occupy the spaces. Restoring the original look of this grand building was a goal of Stanly County Schools and the Architects. The rooms in the 1924 and 1936 building have eight inch wood bases, hardwood floors restored on the 2nd and 3rd floors, and restrooms with tile matched to the 1924 building. In order to meet the demands of the 21st century, each classroom is furnished with casements for 24 children; on the 1st level each classroom has its own toilet. There is one toilet for every five people who occupy the building. Teachers have a separate restroom. In order to serve the diverse needs of the community, each floor has special small classrooms for personal needs. The building has the best of everything when it comes to a learning environment. The HVAC system is a four pipe system. This allows one classroom to get heating and another to get cooling at the same time. Natural light from the large windows allow children to learn better. It has been proven that children educated in natural light test better and enjoy learning more. The school has restored pride to the community, which has a rich past and promising future
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Charles C. Hook. The Building was a platform for
teachers and hoped to transform this mill town into the 20th
century. The new classrooms are large, bright and modern.