Building Description Brumfield High School, Natchez Mississippi
Brumfield School is a two-story, H-plan, brick public school building executed in the Classical Revival style. The building and its property are bounded on the north by St. Catherine Street, on the east by Sixth Street, and on the south by East Franklin Street. The building's basement is partially raised and its walls extend to form parapets on all but the rear elevation. The northerly facade of the building is divided into nine bays of recessed panels, each filled by two window openings except for the first-story center bay which contains the primary entrance. The two bays at each end of the facade are located in corner projections. Each recessed bay of the corner projections and the second-story center bay are filled with two, three-over-three, double-hung window sash. The remaining recessed bays of the facade are filled with paired, three-over-three, double-hung sash set within a single enframement. The basement window configurations correspond to the upper stories with the window openings containing a much shorter three-over-three sash unit. A wooden, modillioned cornice extends the full width of the facade, wraps around the comer projections, and is repeated in a smaller version above the entrance doorway, where it extends the full width of the center-bay panel. Also extending the full-width of the center-bay panel is the architrave of the entrance doorway, which features a keystoned, elliptically arched opening filled with double-leaf glazed doors set within an elliptical transom and flanking sidelights. Leading from the front entrance doorway to the front walk are the original concrete steps which are enclosed at each end by stepped brick walls with concrete coping. A second, similar set of steps which lead from the front lawn of the building to the sidewalk.
The matching eastern and western side elevations of the building consist of a recessed block of four bays of recessed panels flanked by projecting blocks at each corner with three bays of recessed panels. All panels feature two window openings filled with three-over-three, double-hung sash. Side entrances are located in semi-circular arched openings in the center most first-story bays of the projecting blocks. The two entrances of the eastern side elevation have lost all their original infill and are now filled with mid-twentieth-century, double-leaf doors with glazed upper panels set within slightly recessed, non-original brick infill. These entrances were apparently altered when new stair systems were installed to meet updated fire codes. The western side elevation contains entrances that are predominantly original and are located in a recessed alcove with beaded-board facade and pressed metal ceiling. Each entrance doorway consists of two-panel, double-leaf doors set within a glazed transom and sidelights over flush board panels. Short flights of concrete steps with side enclosures provide access from the side entrances to walks along the sides of the building.
The rear elevation of the building is not elaborated with the parapet walls or recessed panels of the other three elevations and features eight bays of windows flanking what were originally first and second-story center-bay entrances. The first-story entrance has been altered by the replacement of the original entrance infill with a pair of windows set into later brick infill, but the original concrete steps survive. The second-story entrance now consists of double-leaf, two-panel doors with glazed upper panels set beneath a transom. This second-story entrance now leads only to a metal porch landing and is sheltered by a cantilevered porch roof. It appears that a fire escape probably originally descended from the landing.
Just inside the primary entrance, which opens into the main floor, is a screen of double-leaf glazed doors flanked by a matching, fixed single leaf door, all set beneath a glazed transom. Pressed metal ceilings, partially obscured by modern dropped ceilings, are a feature of both the upper two floors of the building. The interior millwork is plainly trimmed throughout. Two-panel interior doors have upper glazed panels and are set beneath transoms. Door surrounds are plain with unmolded back-bands, and windows are set into the plaster walls without wooden surrounds or jambs. Window aprons and baseboards are plain. Two original stair systems are located on the western side of the building and are very plainly detailed with square, paneled newels and a balustrade composed of a shaped handrail atop panels of beaded-board. The staircases on the eastern side of the building are modern, constructed of concrete, and probably a response to updated fire code regulations. The basement features nicely detailed, cast-iron supporting posts. The overall integrity of the building is good, with exterior alterations limited primarily to altered infill on the rear and side entrances and interior alterations limited to the installation of two new stair systems and modern ceiling panels and to the later partitioning of some interior spaces.
