Abandoned Gothic Revival School Buildings in VA

West End School - John B. Cary School, Richmond Virginia

Date added: June 15, 2024 Categories:

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The Cary School was named for Colonel John B. Cary, Superintendent of the Richmond Public Schools from 1886 to 1889. Constructed between 1912-1913, it replaced the Sidney School. It was renamed West End in September 1954, when it became a school for black students.

The Cary School is associated with an important period in the history of public education in Richmond. Between 1870, when the Board of Public Instruction launched its initial acquisition and development program, and 1909, capital outlay for school construction was modest. In 1909, Dr. J.A.C. Chandler was named Superintendent of Richmond Public Schools. Dr. Chandler soon initiated an ambitious construction program which was overseen by Public School Architect Charles M. Robinson. Over the next twenty years most of the extant historic school buildings in Richmond were constructed. The Cary School is one of the best examples of the schools constructed during this period. The Depression of the 1930s and World War II effectively ended school construction in Richmond. Not until after the war were schools constructed on a scale comparable to the 1909-1929 period.

The Cary School was designed by Charles M. Robinson (1867-1932), a significant Virginia architect particularly noted for his design of educational buildings. Robinson was born in Hamilton, Loudoun County, the son of James T. Robinson, who was also an architect. Robinson studied under D.S. Hopkins of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and John K. Peebles of Richmond. After practicing in Altoona and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Robinson returned to Richmond in 1906.

Robinson was the supervising architect for the Board of Public Instruction of the City of Richmond between 1910 and 1929. In addition to the Cary School, he designed the William Fox School, the Albert Hill School, and Thomas Jefferson School among others.

Robinson's design of educational facilities extended to the collegiate level. He prepared master plans for the campuses of James Madison and Radford Universities and the College of William and Mary. He designed many buildings at the College of William and Mary, Mary Washington College, and Virginia State University. His campus planning for William and Mary, Mary Washington, Radford, and James Madison universities, his scholarly Georgian Revival designs, and his fluency in all styles and motifs earned him the respect of his peers and clients. In addition to his practice, Robinson served on the Virginia State Board for Examination and Certification of Architects.

The Cary School was constructed by the Wise Granite Company of Richmond from locally quarried stone. It is a relatively rare example of the use of granite within the City of Richmond, where brick has been the most common masonry material. It is one of only two extant school buildings in Richmond which is extensively faced with granite. The use of granite was particularly appropriate to the Cary School because of its Gothic styling. The granite lends greater authenticity to the Gothic styling whose origins date to the Medieval period and are closely associated with the architecture of churches and fortifications.

During the 1830s the Gothic Revival became fashionable principally through the work of Alexander Jackson Davis, the country's most prolific practitioner of the style. Davis's plans for houses and cottages were widely distributed in the popular books of Andrew Jackson Downing. Downing produced several pattern books which illustrated the suitability of the style to modest domestic architecture. Downing's publications made the Gothic one of the predominant building styles of the period. The Gothic Revival style was most popular in the United States between 1840 and 1870, although it remained a popular building style for religious and educational buildings well into the 20^th century.

The Gothic Revival was particularly important in Virginia, where Alexander Jackson Davis designed a number of buildings. The Barracks at Virginia Military Institute, designed by Davis, is the heart of a district unified by castellated examples of the style. Strikingly similar in detail, the Barracks was perhaps the inspiration for Charles Robinson's highly accurate Gothic Revival design of the Cary School.

Beyond its Gothic styling, the Cary School shares certain traits common to hundred of others found throughout the country. While historic school buildings varied greatly in terms of their size, style, and materials, their designs did adhere to certain standards. The earliest published standards for school buildings date to 1832 when William A. Alcott prepared a brief treatise on school design. Alcott stressed that fresh air, space, and light were necessary in promoting a healthy learning environment. He suggested the liberal use of large windows, classrooms providing a separate desk for each pupil, and open surroundings for recreation. For more than a century afterward, school architects followed similar standards. These schools featured a basic classroom size of about 25 by 35 feet, expansive windows, high ceilings, and an open setting usually with adjacent playgrounds and athletic fields. These characteristics were shared by schools ranging from one-room rural types to large urban schools. The Cary School shares many of these traits and is a good example of the adaptation of the Gothic style to traditional school design.

Building Description

The Cary School, subsequently named the West End School, is a two-and-one-half-story, granite-faced educational facility, with a raised basement. It is located at 2100 Idlewood Avenue. Constructed in 1913, it is an outstanding example of the Gothic Revival style. Although in fair condition, it is little altered since originally constructed.

The Cary School is located in the West End of Richmond on the east half of a rectangular block. The block is 2.1 acres in area and is bounded by Idlewood, Grayland, and Shields avenues, and Rowland Street. Beyond the school is an asphalt parking lot and playground. Most of the surrounding area is a residential neighborhood.

The Cary School has a rectangular ground plan. It rests on a poured concrete slab foundation. Its structural system is reinforced concrete. Perhaps its most unusual and significant feature is its granite exterior finish. The roof is a built-up type with a crenelated parapet. A secondary hipped roof, sheathed in metal, covers the gymnasium. The fenestration of the building is regular. It is composed primarily of awning windows with 2/2 lights. Windows are arranged in groups of four in the classroom areas. The interior of the building includes a basement, principals office, classrooms, and a multi-use space housing primarily a gymnasium.

The main entrance fronts on Idlewild Avenue and is part of a projecting central pavilion. The entrance contains much of the ornamentation and stylistic features of the building. The exterior entrance is defined by a tudor arched opening. It is flanked by two full height towers. Each tower features apertures and a crenelated parapet, additional elements of the Gothic style. The entrance foyer also contains features associated with the Gothic Revival style.

The Cary School is a good example of the versatility of standard school building design. The Gothic Revival styling enhances the architectural quality of the school, and the use of granite on an institutional building is rare. However, the overall design and individual features of the building; the basic classroom size, expansive windows, high ceilings, and an open setting with adjacent playgrounds; were shared by schools ranging from one-room rural types to large urban schools.

The Cary School is currently vacant and in fair condition. It is largely unaltered since originally constructed. Plans are underway for the adaptation of the building as an apartment building.