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<br /> NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Approval No.1024-0018
<br /> (8-86)
<br /> United States Department of the Interior
<br /> National Park Service
<br /> National Register of Historic Places
<br /> Continuation Sheet
<br /> Section number 8 Page 15 Ridge Road School
<br /> Orange County, NC
<br /> arranged to take full advantage of natural light and air circulation and facilitate connectivity between
<br /> interior and exterior spaces. Weatherboard sheathing and wood-shingle or standing-seam metal roofs
<br /> were typical. Brick piers or continuous brick foundations elevated buildings to diminish dampness and
<br /> insect infestation. Porches and vestibules provided sheltered egress. Small coat, lunch preparation, and
<br /> storage rooms often projected from the main block. Groups of tall multi-pane, double-hung, wood sash
<br /> windows illuminated and ventilated classrooms. Windows were typically located on only one elevation,
<br /> ideally to the left of desks, to minimize eye strain. Interior finishes included narrow tongue-and-groove
<br /> hardwood floors, plaster-on-lath or beadboard-sheathed walls and ceilings, tall baseboards,beadboard
<br /> wainscoting, wood door and window surrounds, wood-frame blackboards, built-in coat and storage
<br /> closets, raised-panel doors with operable transoms, and molded chair rails, cornices, and picture rails.
<br /> Movable partition walls and folding doors maximized spatial use for instructional purposes and enabled
<br /> community gatherings. Small stages accommodated performers and lecturers. Heating stoves were
<br /> located in central corners to share common chimneys, effectively radiate heat at a safe distance from
<br /> students, and avoid interference with desk placement.31
<br /> The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction(NCDPI)'s Division of Schoolhouse Planning
<br /> issued standardized floor plans, elevations, specifications, and guidance regarding educational building
<br /> construction beginning in 1903. Some plans were executed as drawn, while others were adapted by
<br /> architects and contractors to reflect local needs and site conditions. Publications included detailed
<br /> building materials lists for schools, privies, dormitories, and teacher residences as well as sample
<br /> contractor agreements, with the goal of reducing overall cost while improving building quality. Site
<br /> preparation, sanitation, landscaping, and playground arrangement are first addressed in the 1914 edition.
<br /> Direction regarding entrance drive, drinking fountain, well house, septic tank, drainage trench, baseball
<br /> diamond, tennis court, basketball court, and playground equipment configuration and construction
<br /> followed. Dimensioned drawings detailed typical wall sections, roof and floor framing, entrance
<br /> canopies, steps and railings, wood trim profiles, window and door frames, doors, windows, cabinets,
<br /> blackboards, and bookcases. Door, window, and cabinet hardware, and paint and varnish type,proper
<br /> application method, and color were specified. NCDPI proposed exterior paint schemes including solid
<br /> white, white siding with light gray trim and white sash, gray siding with white trim and white sash, light
<br /> cream siding with light brown trim and light cream sash, and dark brown siding with light cream trim and
<br /> sash. On the interior, ceilings were ideally white or cream and walls cream to reflect light, while a dark
<br /> color, preferably brown, was suggested for wainscoting, trim, and doors to minimize glare and
<br /> maintenance.32
<br /> Ridge Road School possesses many of these standard characteristics. Original exterior elements include
<br /> 31 State Superintendent of Public Instruction,Plans for Public Schoolhouses(Raleigh:E.M.Uzzell and Company,
<br /> 1911); State Superintendent of Public Instruction,Plans for Public Schoolhouses and School Grounds(Raleigh:E.M.Uzzell
<br /> and Company, 1914); State Superintendent of Public Instruction,"Plans and Specifications," 1934.
<br /> 12 Ibid.
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