This old School building once accommodated an enrollment of 2,198 students

Huntington High School, Huntington West Virginia

Date added: November 28, 2023 Categories:

The building was designed by Versus T. Ritter who was a local architect in Huntington, WV. He also designed the Huntington City Hall Building in 1914 and the Huntington National Bank Building in 1914. Both of these buildings are still standing. All three of these buildings are excellent examples of the Neo-Classical Revival style of architecture which was popular after the turn of the century in the period of 1910 to 1920 in Huntington.

By 1887, the Cabell County School System established a three-grade high school in the prayer meeting room of the old Congregational Church, located on the southeast corner of Fifth Avenue and Ninth Street in the Downtown. The school was later moved to the Council Chambers of City Hall, originally located on the east side of Ninth Street and 4 ½ Alley.

In 1890, Huntington High School was given two rooms in the Oley School Building which was built in 1888 and named for the Union Civil War General John H. Oley. The 1890 graduating class had two students. The Oley School Building was located at Fifth Avenue and Thirteenth Street. It was demolished in the 1970s.

The building was designed for an enrollment of 1,100 students. By 1928 however, the high school had two sessions per day to accommodate an enrollment of 2,198 students.

The former Huntington High School building has been the center of secondary public education for the City of Huntington from 1916 until 1995, when a new facility was constructed. At one time, the City of Huntington was able to boast that it had more students who went on to become Rhodes Scholars than any other school of its size.

The need for a separate high school building became apparent in the early 1900s with the growing number of students. This was a reflection of the various trends that were taking place during the early decades of the City and its rise in population during its formative years. There was an increasing population nationally, beginning in the 1880's with an increased percentage of Americans living in urban areas. In the 1880 Census, which was the first census conducted after the founding of the City of Huntington, the urban population of the United States was roughly 25% of the overall population. West Virginia's urban population was 8.7% of the state's total population. By 1920, for the first time in American history, the urban population exceeded 50%, while the state's urban population had increased to 25% of the total population.

This growing urbanization was reflected in the rapid growth of the City of Huntington. At the time that the City first offered high school classes back in 1888, approximately 10,000 residents lived in the City of Huntington. By 1920, the City's population had increased to over 50,000 people. Therefore, the need for a high school was justified with a capacity of 1,100 students.

The building occupies a block in a prominent location on a major thoroughfare in the heart of the city. The former high school building is an excellent example of the grand architectural style of public and institutional buildings that were built from 1910 to 1929. The building is unique in that it retains the majority of its original Neo-Classical Revival features and materials. One of the most outstanding features is the grand double staircase on the front elevation that leads to the main floor. A stone balustrade encloses the stairs on both sides. The elevated staircase allows for a carriage driveway underneath for passengers to disembark and enter the building on the ground floor level. The facade has a stone colonnade with two-story columns flanking three sets of arched double entrance doors. There are stone spandrels and terra cotta panels and friezes throughout. The parapet at the center of the building has an open stone balustrade capped with metal urns on the pilasters.

Building Description

The former Huntington High School consists of the original building with three additions and a converted carriage house. The main building was constructed from buff brick in 1916 and rises four and one-half stories high. The building contains 123,000 sq. ft. and forms a long rectangle with a shorter rectangular wing on each end of the main rectangle. The wings are flush with the long rectangle, and extend toward the rear of the property, forming a "U" shape with a courtyard at the rear of the building. The courtyard area, however, was later enclosed with newer additions. The first, or ground, floor of the building is raised almost a full story above grade. This arrangement has allowed for an elaborate exterior staircase to be centered front with access to the main floor entrance. Attached to the rear of the north wing is a buff-colored brick gymnasium addition of 13,240 square feet, which was constructed in 1951; and a buff-colored brick cafeteria addition, constructed in 1956 of 436 square feet. The kitchen is located in an older red brick building built in 1916, which could have been a carriage house. It is also located in the courtyard area and connects to the cafeteria. Connected to the south wing is a buff-colored brick addition of 18,836 sq. ft., constructed in 1977 which contains a library, the music department, classrooms and mechanical and maintenance rooms. The total square footage is 155,512.

The main portion of the high school building was designed in the Neo-Classical Revival style. It is an impressive example of this period of American architecture and demonstrates its significance to the community. A grand double stairway built of limestone leads from grade to the first-floor level. It has limestone balustrades and steps, with buff-colored brick cheek walls. There is a round open archway in the center which is edged in stone. The stairway is supported by flat arches over the front driveway.

There is a wide stone belt course at the raised first-floor level. The front entrance has three round-arched openings with double doors and semi-circular transoms above. The door openings are flanked by four cylindrical stone columns which are two stories in height. Decorative stone panels, medallions, and entablatures with carved shields and educational quotations crest each door opening. The columns have stone Doric capitals and are crowned with a decorative stone entablature and frieze with the name of the building carved in stone. There is a projecting cornice and dentil molding above. The facade is capped with a stone cornice that runs around the perimeter of the building. In the center portion is a raised parapet with an open stone balustrade topped with ornamental urns.

The windows are not original and were replaced in the 1970s. The original windows were wood 9/9 double-hung sashes. The windows are linked together in pairs with brick pilasters separating the fenestration. Each pilaster is capped with a stone capital. Another stone belt course between the second and third floor forms a large projecting cornice. Flanking the ends of the original building are solid brick areas with an applied terra cotta medallion on the second floor level and terra cotta pilasters and a picture molding.

The side of the original building repeats the fenestration from the front. There is a pair of doors on each side of the building. Above the doors is a projecting terra cotta false balcony with brackets and an open balustrade. There are several terra cotta panels between the windows.

The gymnasium, cafeteria, and music/library additions are devoid of ornamentation and indicative of the period architecture when they were constructed. They were built with light-colored buff brick with some stonework. They are compatible but do not reflect the grandeur of the original building.

The building contains 155,512 square feet of space. Interior access through the building is by means of a stair tower located in each wing of the building, adjacent to the central portion of the building. The stair towers are open from the ground floor to the third floor. A stair tower on either side of the auditorium allows access from the first floor to the half-story above the third floor. There is an elevator that goes from the ground floor to the third floor. There is another stair tower at the end of the north wing which allows access from the ground floor to the third floor. A one-story stair tower connects the music department to the library above. There is an exterior metal fire escape from the third floor to grade at the rear of the south wing.

The original gymnasium is located in the rear center of the building below the auditorium. This gym with adjoining locker room and office space is located completely below grade and forms a basement level. There is a rear exit from the gym which leads directly to the exterior and is accessed by an exterior set of stairs. On the same level as the ground floor of the building in the gymnasium area is a running track and viewing area. Adjacent to the gymnasium on the basement level is the original mechanical room which contains two large inoperative boilers, an air handling unit and assorted electrical and plumbing equipment. Directly behind the mechanical room, forming a half-story between the basement and ground floor levels, is a large storage room with direct access to the exterior.

The ground floor of the building is accessed through a central stairway under the main building entrance with a ground-level doorway in each wing. Adjacent to the central entrance is a custodial/maintenance office and storage room. Located in this office area is a control panel for the fire suppression system. The corridor of the ground floor basically forms a "U" shape. On the outside of the "U" on the remainder of the ground floor are classrooms with access to the gymnasium and music department. The inside of the "U" provides access to the cafeteria, original gymnasium, original boiler/mechanical rooms, and the new boiler/mechanical room. A new gymnasium is located in an addition. It contains a regulation basketball court, men's and women's locker rooms, and pull-out bleachers on both sides of the basketball court. The music department is located in another addition and it has a variety of practice and band rooms with acoustical treatment. The new boiler room contains two gas-fired hot water boilers which are less than five years old, as well as a new electrical service. At the rear of the boiler room is a large storage room that has outside access via an overhead garage door.

The first floor of the building is accessed by means of the front entrance, an elevator and interior stair towers. On either side of the main entrance are offices which are located on the outside of the buildings's "U", as well as classrooms. On the inside of the "U" is access to the auditorium, interior stairwells, restrooms, and two service rooms.

The second floor of the building is accessed by means of the elevator and stair towers. The second floor is comprised entirely of classrooms and the balcony of the auditorium. The third floor of the building is accessed by means of the elevator and interior stair towers. The third floor is comprised of classrooms. There is a half story above the third floor which is located above the auditorium and consists of three classrooms.