Building Description Leesburg High School, Leesburg Georgia

The Leesburg High School complex consists of a number of separate buildings. The main building and the most historic building is the two-story, red-brick, original high school building (no. 1). The foundation and exterior walls are masonry, with wood-frame windows. The roof is wood framing with a combination of bituminous roofing and shingle roofing over the auditorium portion of the building.

Ornamental keystones above the front entryway to the building are indicative of the period in which the building was constructed and add detail to the building. Most of the exterior hardware is brushed aluminum, or brass. The exterior walls are constructed of masonry, brick veneer with rowlock, and brick inlay, cast stone, cast arches and columns, wood window frames with mullions and curved glass transom windows. Craftsmanship of the era is evident in the construction.

The organization of interior spaces is divided into classrooms, offices, corridors, faculty rooms, boys' and girls' restrooms, stairways, electrical, mechanical and janitorial closets. These interior spaces functioned as these descriptions indicate both historically and up until the building was closed for use as a school. The only noticeable modifications to these spaces are the addition in 1981 of handicap accessible restrooms and carpeting in the classrooms, offices and corridors.

The interior floors are constructed with wood sub-flooring covered with carpeting or vinyl tile, except in the auditorium where 1" x 2" tongue-and-groove wood flooring is located. The walls are wood-framed masonry with plaster on furring strips. The ceilings are plaster with acoustical lay-in below existing plaster.

The hardware found in the building is a combination of brass, brushed aluminum, and steel. The stairways are made of steel with rubber non-slip treads with the original wooden handrails, and protective steel mesh guards on the open sides of stairways to prevent falls. Original school bells are still attached to the corridor walls in some parts of the building. Wall sconce light fixtures are still located in the auditorium of the building. The entryway stairs are cast-in-place concrete with risers, treads and landings. Doors are a wood-and-steel combination, with wood base moldings and trim. Chair rails located throughout the building are wood, as are the transom trim and crown molding. The walls and ceilings are plaster. A number of classrooms and faculty rooms have built-in cabinets and book shelves. Fixed wooden, folding, theater-style chairs are located in the auditorium of the building. The stage in the auditorium is also 1" x 2" tongue-and-groove wood flooring with some vinyl tile applied. The windows in the auditorium are wood with wood trim and arched transoms, and appear to be the original windows. Also found in the auditorium are wood chair rails and wainscoting on the walls which includes applied moldings.

The structural system is a wood-beam truss system, possibly with split-ring trusses.

The historical mechanical systems consist of conventional indoor electrical wiring in conformity with building codes of the era. There is conventional indoor plumbing. The heating system is a boiler with radiant heat. Large attic fans are located on the landings of the main stairways but there was no air conditioning in the original structure at the time of construction. Modern heating and air conditioning systems were installed in later years to provide air conditioning, and possibly more efficient heat to some areas of the building.

There are established lawn areas surrounding the building. On the front lawn of the building there is a large, mature magnolia tree to the left of the front entryway. Other plants located on the front of the building are numerous boxwood shrubs, large mature holly bushes, and one Bradford pear tree that is to the right of the front entryway. There is a concrete sidewalk providing access from the street to the front door, and a covered awning was added years after the original construction to provide shelter from inclement weather to students being loaded or unloaded from school buses. The building is connected to other additional buildings on the property that were constructed in later years by way of connecting covered concrete sidewalks. At the side of the building adjacent to the auditorium there are several native, mature dogwood and redbud trees, which appear to have come up from natural sources rather than intentionally landscaped, that offer a shady courtyard area adjacent to the North side entrance to the building.