ORD-2015-004 (approved as ORD-2015-012) Ordinance Designating the Property Known As The White Cross School In Orange County, North Carolina As A Local Historic Landmark

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K Att. 1: Orange County Landmark Application for the White Cross School White Cross School 3501 Highway 54 West Bingham Township Orange County Landmark Application Part 2 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The White Cross School, constructed in 1933 to serve as an elementary school for the White Cross community west of Chapel Hill, is significant as one of only three remaining rural brick "consolidated" schools in Orange County erected by the Orange County Board of Education during the 1920s and 1930s.' This period was a time of amalgamation and regulation in North Carolina schools and the consolidation movement served as the impetus for the improvement and reconstruction of rural schools throughout the state. Additionally, new regulations introduced by the North Carolina legislature in the 1930s expanded the school year and required school attendance, thus increasing enrollment, and allocated state funding for schools and school supplies .2 The present White Cross School is the second structure to be erected on this site during the consolidation era and the fourth structure to house an institution that played a pivotal role in the social and cultural life of lower Bingham Township from the late nineteenth century through its closure in 1961. The White Cross School is also significant architecturally as an example of a school plan produced by the State Department of Education that prioritizes natural lighting and eliminates interior hallways in favor of less expensive exterior porches. The four- classroom -with- auditorium plan is typical for small rural schools of the 1920s and 1930s and was enlarged in 1948 with the construction of a cafeteria, a common addition in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The school retains a high degree of architectural integrity with the original layout of four classrooms around a central auditorium intact along with the front and rear porches, providing circulation. Additionally, with Colonial Revival -style elements, the White Cross School illustrates a national style and architectural movement in the context of a rural community in the Depression -era twentieth century. The exterior features Flemish garden wall bond brickwork, an unusual treatment not seen elsewhere in the county. The original paired front doors remain in place, along with original wood windows and frames generally arranged in bands, a treatment made popular by Rosenwald Schools of the period. The interior maintains original floors, trim, and doors as well as a raised stage on the east end of the auditorium, and several original light fixtures. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION The White Cross School, a one -story brick - veneered building, stands on the north side of Highway 54 West, in the White Cross community approximately eight miles west of downtown Chapel Hill. The building is set back from the road on a slight rise with a grassy lawn that extends down to the road. It is accessed by a gravel drive that encircles the building with a gravel parking lot at the rear of the building and a small amount of gravel parking on the west side of the building. The construction of fencing and the installation of playground equipment in front of the building have partially obscured the building from view from the The 1923 Murphy School and 1931 St. Mary's School remain, while the Aycock, Caldwell, Carrboro, Efland, and Orange Grove schools have all been demolished. 2 Ward, Michael E. "History of Education in North Carolina." Raleigh: State Historic Preservation Office, pg. 7.