Highland School, listed on the NRHP in Catawba County, North Carolina
Highland School is a brick educational building with two stories constructed in 1921 in Hickory, designed in the Classical Revival style by architects Rink and Setzer. The structure features a central nine-bay pavilion on its front facade and a hipped slate roof, with balanced proportions and clean lines that emphasize order and stability.
The school was built in 1921 to serve the educational needs of Hickory's growing community. In 1950, a gymnasium and lunchroom addition was constructed as a single brick structure, though this annex was later demolished to make way for residential apartments.
Highland School served as a gathering place where generations of families sent their children to learn. The building remains a quiet reminder of how education shaped the community and connected people across different backgrounds and times.
The school is located in a quiet residential area of Hickory and is easily accessible on foot, with its symmetrical design making the main features easy to identify. The front entrance is clearly marked with classical stone steps and metal fixtures, indicating the building remains well-maintained and open to observation.
Remarkably, the original 1950 gymnasium and lunchroom addition was demolished, yet the main brick structure from 1921 has survived and adapted to new purposes as apartments. This shows how a building can shift its role while retaining the stories of generations who walked through its halls.
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