J.T. Barber School

The J.T. Barber School is an educational complex in New Bern consisting of seven separate wings containing classrooms, a cafeteria, library, gymnasium, and auditorium. The single-story concrete block building spreads across 11 acres and includes specialized rooms designed for different teaching and learning functions.

The school was built between 1951 and 1955 to serve African-American students during the era of segregation in the South. It received recognition on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006 as an important record of mid-twentieth century educational history.

The building reflects educational design trends from the 1950s with its open layout and specialized rooms for different subjects and activities. Walking through the spaces shows how architects thought about separating and organizing student learning.

The building sits on Cobb Street in New Bern and is viewable from public areas, with athletic fields and open grounds surrounding the campus. Visitors can explore the structure and layout of the complex from accessible exterior vantage points.

Architect Raymond Fuson designed the building with seven independent wings connected by pathways to enable movement between different educational areas. This innovative wing layout was less common at the time and demonstrates early thinking about functional school design.