The Jefferson School, a historical landmark located in Starr Hill, originally built in 1926, the school would go on to gain three additions over the course of its time as a school.
History
The history of the Jefferson School began in 1865, when Anna Gardener was sent by the New England Freedmen’s Aid Society to open a school for formerly enslaved people in Charlottesville. She named the school the “Jefferson School” after the famous local, Thomas Jefferson. The school was first operated out of an old hospital for confederate soldiers, in 1869, it moved to a building located near the train station, and in 1894 it moved to the lot where the current Jefferson School would later be built. There was no high school for African Americans until 1926, when the Jefferson High School was built, the earlier Jefferson school only went up to 8th grade until 1924, when parents petitioned the city board. The 1926 construction of the Jefferson School was designed by architect Charles Calrow. In 1951, a new high school opened called Jackson P. Burley, and the Jefferson School became an elementary school for 1st through 7th grade. During the 1960s Charlottesville schools began to integrate and the number of students at the Jefferson School began to decline. In the school year of 1965-1966, the Jefferson School became a junior high school for both African American and white students. From 1975 to 1992, the Jefferson School was a “swing school” for students to go to while their schools were undergoing renovations. In 2002, a Jefferson School Task Force was created that reported to the city council until 2004. In 2011 the City Council approved the appeal for the Jefferson School to be an individually protected property, which means that any renovations have to be approved by the Board of Architectural Review and the City Council.
Additions
Architects William E. Stainback and Louis A. Brown, Jr, designed the first addition in 1938 and 1939, which added an open courtyard, library, and more classrooms; this addition was funded by the Public Works Association. In 1958, the Virginia governor closed Venable Elementary and Lane High School, all white schools, to avoid integration. During the fall of 1958 the Jefferson School built a large addition to accommodate the 847 student increase. In 1959, the Jefferson school gained its final addition that included the Carver Recreation Center, a gymnasium, auditorium and athletic facilities. The additions made in the 1950’s were designed by Baker, Heyward and Llorens Architects of Charlottesville.
Architecture
Much of the building as it is today contains the original woodwork, windows, and flooring. Just like most Charlotteville buildings, the Jefferson School contains elements of Jeffersonian design, a form of American Neo–Classicism. The Jefferson School has numerous windows that let in plenty of natural light into the building, in some sections the contrast between the new and old sections is vivid, as the architecture blends together as an interesting mixture. Despite its simple and imposing exterior the inside of the Jefferson School is full of history and character.
“Jefferson School.” Cvillepedia, http://www.cvillepedia.org/Jefferson_School.
“Jefferson School History.” Jefferson School History | Piedmont Virginia Community College, http://www.pvcc.edu/jefferson-school-history.