Vacant Junior and Senior School Building in AL

Cleburne County High School, Heflin Alabama

Date added: November 22, 2024

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Alabama
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The Cleburne County High School was constructed in 1936 and partially funded by a Public Works Administration grant, the high school when the Federal Government worked to restore the economic and social life of the nation following the Great Depression. Starting in 1933, the Public Works Administration sought to refine the education system and revitalize the stalled building of schools, many of which were one-room schoolhouses predating 1900. As a response to the Great Depression, Americans began to realize the importance of education, in particular, education beyond elementary school. The PWA set out to build and condense schools so that learning conditions were of a higher quality. Because Heflin was the largest city in Cleburne County and the business center for the railroad, it became the location of the County's condensed school. The school in Heflin represents a period in which federally funded building projects aimed at employing local architects and builders lead to a modernized and minimal interpretation of popular styles. This funding resulted in a specific Moderne style, evident in the Cleburne County High School. The design was created by Birmingham based architect Charles H. McCauley and constructed by the Daniel Construction Company, a frequent partner of McCauley & Associates. McCauley would go on to design many of Alabama's most famous public buildings of the period in Birmingham and surrounding areas.

Heflin Background

Heflin, Alabama is in rural Cleburne County in the northeast quadrant of the state and serves as the county seat. The small community grew as a cotton center and railroad town between Birmingham and Atlanta after the completion of the Georgia Pacific railroad in 1883. Cleburne County was formed in 1867 from portions of Calhoun, Talladega and Randolph counties, and named for the Irish-born Confederate general Patrick R. Cleburne, who died at the battle of Franklin, TN. in 1864.

The County drew national attention in the 1840s when gold was discovered around the town of Arbacoochee, mining over $5 million in gold. While the interest in mining in the county later decreased, Cleburne County retained a prominent position as a resource-rich area. The original county seat was in Edwardsville, however a countywide election and subsequent legal battle resulted in a relocation to Heflin in 1906. Because of Heflin's location and resources, the community was "by an overwhelming vote … " elected the county seat.

The Ross family, the first settlers on the land that would become Heflin, relocated from South Carolina in the 1830s as farmers, settling near the Tallapoosa River. After their plantation achieved success, Newton J. Ross, for whom the town's main thoroughfare is named, sold the land that would become the majority of the town. This land was developed to include the first public school, three churches, and the cemetery. In 1882, the city of Heflin was officially established, named after the local physician Dr. Wilson L. Heflin. In this same year, the Georgia Pacific Railroad was completed, connecting Heflin to Atlanta, Georgia, and it would connect to Birmingham the following year. Due to the expansion of the railroad, Heflin grew as a result and was incorporated in 1886 by the Alabama Legislature. Heflin became the center of business activity with its railroad access, with a strong role in the cotton and huckleberry markets.

Cleburne County High School

The Cleburne County High School was constructed to support the increasing number of enrolled students, following the expansion of the community during the Great Depression. Constructed in 1936, the school consisted of three brick buildings with 30 rooms, 22 of which were classrooms. The plans for the school were drawn by prominent Birmingham architect Charles H. McCauley, and built by Daniel Construction Company. The consolidated school, considered one of the most conveniently organized schools, was funded in part by a grant made by the Public Works Administration, as part of a program to revitalize the County's education system, and in part by bonds sold to the Works Progress Administration.

Because of the prominence in the County's commercial activity at the time, and the increased ease of transportation, it was decided that the consolidated school would be in Heflin.

The Cleburne County High School, funded in part by a Public Works Administration grant, represents a national trend of increased interest in the education system following the Great Depression. The federally funded Public Works Administration worked to replace and consolidate one-room schoolhouses, during a time when school construction had essentially halted. In 1932, 57.8 percent of schools were one-room buildings, a third of which dated between 1870-1900. The national need to fund these projects stemmed from the rapid rate of increased enrollment from 1918 to 1936, a clear majority of which was in high school. The interest in high school education came from the realization that education was essential to success in life, brought by the Great Depression. According to the PWA, increased enrollment required an increase of necessary expenditure per student. However, the national trend of increased school enrollment was matched by national trend of decreased expenditure.

During the period between 1932 and 1937, the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works, later termed the Public Works Administration, assisted in financing 70 percent of the new school buildings throughout country. However, though the projects were funded in part by the PWA, the local community bore the major portion of the cost. The High School in Heflin exemplifies this financial problem. The Cleburne County High School was funded by both the PWA grant and money from county bonds sold to the Works Progress Administration. The building of the school constituted the largest government-funded project in the county to date. The school was praised throughout Cleburne County for its modernity. It was built in accordance with the PWA goals in the education grant program containing all the essential conveniences such as running water, steam-heated rooms and a fully fireproof construction. These goals were;

"To provide new facilities to meet the needs of shifting populations and growing enrollments; to replace unsafe and obsolete small buildings with modern, consolidated schools; to provide new structures with modern equipment to replace obsolete and overcrowded buildings without proper heating, ventilation, lighting, or sanitation; and to provide needed additions and improvements to existing buildings."

The three-hall school, originally divided by High School and Junior High, was deemed the "finest and most conveniently arranged school building." This same arrangement is seen other PWA funded schools throughout the country. While the construction of the Cleburne County High School did not accommodate all the students of the County, it allowed a greater number of students to attend school. This welcome change came at a time when the county shifted from purely rural to a business-centric railroad community.

The Cleburne County High School was built as a combined junior and high school, featuring two major hallways, the north hallway (the junior high hall) and the south hallway (the high school hall), with a central hallway containing the library and the entrance to the auditorium. Per modern school building concepts, the junior high classrooms were designed to allow multi-function use. This design consisted of slightly larger rooms with a coatroom in the rear. Unlike the junior high, where the students would learn different subjects within the same room, the high school classrooms were designed to suit only one subject. The classrooms were smaller with no coatroom, keeping in mind that students move in and out based on their schedule and were therefore designed for only a single class at a time. Additionally, the PWA outlined the modern requirements for the auditorium, calling for an auditorium to be the center of the community rather than the school alone. The County High School follows the guide, with the space preforming two roles as both a gymnasium and an auditorium meant to accommodate far more occupants than the school itself. The architect, Charles H. McCauley designed each of the rooms so that they would not lay unused, a characteristic also outlined in the PWA modernization of schools.

Architect Charles H. McCauley

Charles H. McCauley (1893 - 1970), a prominent architect located in Birmingham, designed the school and was responsible for multiple other PWA projects within the state of Alabama. McCauley was born in Chicago, and studied architecture at the University of Illinois, he practiced architecture in Chicago before moving to Birmingham in 1919. There, he started his own firm in 1925, called Charles H. McCauley Associates. The firm designed many important buildings throughout Birmingham including Temple Beth-El (1926), Medical Arts Building (1931), Birmingham City Hall (1950), Boutwell Auditorium Entry Pavilion (1957) and more. At the time of McCauley's death in 1970, Charles H. McCauley Associates was one of the largest architectural practices in the South.

In the same time period, McCauley designed a similar federally funded building in the PWA Moderne style of the High School, in Birmingham, using the same building company as he used for the high school. The style's mix of Neoclassical, Art Deco and Art Moderne elements combined in a conservative representation of the times, was in a way a display of the aim of the program's aim to create stability within the nation. Though PWA funding was not dependent upon the use of a specific architectural style, the Cleburne County High School resembles a PWA funded building by McCauley, the Jefferson Tower in Birmingham Ala. (1941). In addition to the Jefferson Tower, an earlier building the Jackson building (later the Jefferson Federal Savings and Loan Building, now the New South Federal Savings Building) in Birmingham (1925) also exhibits similar architectural characteristics.

The use of the art deco style evolved with the times, in the 1930's there was a more simplified approach to the style's highly ornate elements. Art deco is characterized by a linear, hard edge or angular composition, often with a vertical emphasis and highlighted with stylized geometric decoration. The Cleburne County High School's art deco elements include the symmetrical balance of the font facade, with a stepped entrance pavilion framed by piers and subtle classical elements such as the dentals along the entrance. The school also has sash-type windows arranged in a linear fashion. McCauley's other projects during this time display the same subtle interpretation of Art Deco, the Jackson Building is minimally ornate, with a slightly stepped facade and linearly arranged metal sash-type windows.

In addition to the Art Deco elements adopted by PWA Moderne, the style also incorporated parts of Art Moderne. The High School, which is a one-and-a-half-story structure, is highly linear in nature, and stripped of surface ornament. This linear quality is highly characteristic of Art Moderne. While many of the buildings of the time are made of sleek, flat materials, the architect chose to use molded brick, using the brick to create subtle decoration. Similarly, the 1941 Jefferson building, a Hospital designed by Charles McCauley and built by Daniel Construction Company, is a T-shaped brick tower with a symmetrical, lightly stepped facade of a linear quality.

Building Description

The Old Cleburne County High School, located in Heflin, Alabama, originally served as one of the County's primary educational institutions until 1984. The one-and-a-half-story brick school was the only combination Junior High and High School in the County until the construction of Ranborne High School in 1941. The historic structure is presently privately owned and not in use. The property has been vacant and in the hands of the current owners since it was purchased from the Cleburne County School Board in 1986. Because the property is located near Heflin's commercial main street, the school stands in a location central to the commercial and residential center of Heflin. The property consists of one large, red brick, one-and-a-half-story, building constructed in 1936. No major exterior modifications have been made, however, in 1957 and 1961, modifications were made to the interior of the school to accommodate the changing needs of the county high school and increase in student enrollment. The structure was designed by architect Charles H. McCauley and constructed by the Daniel Construction Company.

The Old Cleburne County High School (1936), located in Heflin, Alabama, has historically played a central role in the education and development of Heflin, a rural county located in northeast Alabama. The building is in an urban setting one block from the main commercial street in downtown Heflin. The construction and design of the school represented a turning point for the county education system. The school is a one-and-a-half-story brick structure located in what is now a residential area. While the school is no longer in use, the setting remains integral to the Heflin community and Cleburne County. Aspects that are still utilized include an adjacent park, the current high school sports field, and community center located behind the school.

The school is in the heart of the recreation area of Heflin. To the west of the school, on the opposite side of Willoughby St. are two single-story residential homes constructed in the 1950's. Additionally, within the parcel boundaries, on the south side of the school is a brick office building constructed in 1992. Several recreation fields surround the Old Cleburne County High school as the Heflin Recreation Center is located behind the school. Also, adjacent to the school, on the north side, is the newly constructed National Guard Armory.

The school was constructed in 1936, with modifications to the interior in 1957 and 1961 to accommodate the changing dynamics of the school and modern requirements for public education. The three-hallway school remained in use from 1936 until 1984, when the county erected a new school building.

The school's facade exhibits Art Deco detailing and character, with a high symmetrical and linear plan. The entrance faces west, towards the city center. Following the symmetry, the building features a flat facade, with a central projecting full-height hipped entry porch. Within the entryway is a recessed geometric arch, incorporated into the brickwork, with stepped pilaster. The north and the south halls are defined by a similar hipped roof offset from the main asbestos shingle hipped-roof, balancing the front facade. The symmetry is further complemented by the sash type ribbon casement windows, and the hipped dormers, giving the school a welcoming and approachable appeal.

Both north and south elevations feature the same sash type casement windows as the front elevation, allowing a substantial amount of natural light into the classrooms. The south elevation is split into two stories, with the original cafeteria on the ground floor. Because the school was constructed on a hill, the half-story is seamless, with a gradual transition from the rear two stories to the front single-story.

The school itself consists of three main hallways with offset brightly colored classrooms. Each of the classrooms can be entered directly from the hallway. The hallway is lined with the entrances to the classrooms and small square windows to allow for natural light from the classrooms to come into the hallway. Each of the classrooms has a blackboard, and a corkboard lining the walls of the room. In addition to the classrooms, across from the central entrance, on the west hallway, is the entrance to the gymnasium, now with two sets of French doors. The gymnasium or auditorium features brick walls lined with wainscoting. To the east is a stage, which was built in 1936 with the school, intended to allow the space to remain versatile for various academic and athletic functions. Through the windows inside the auditorium, one can see both wings of the school and the north and south hallways.

The exterior of the building has not been altered or modified, representing a single architectural phase typical of PWA buildings and those built by Charles H. McCauley during the period of significance. As the needs of the student body grew, the interior was modified to accommodate the need for new technology and an increase in the size of the student body. While the internal modifications were significant, they represent the value of the school within the community and the desire to maintain its use. The modifications also did not disrupt the original floor plan and utilitarian intentions of the PWA format for buildings intended for educational purposes.

After the private purchase of the building in 1986, the school continued to be used for educational and community purposes, having been used for community arts exhibitions, church-related education and tutoring. The structure was also used as a pre-school, which led to the addition of the structure at the rear entrance of the school. The addition was added in 2006, which included a carport and ramp leading to the main floor of the school. The addition is constructed of wood with a sheet metal roof.