{"nrhp_refnum":"00000068","name":"James Blair Junior High School","other_names":["122-0474"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"730 Spotswood Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Norfolk (Independent City)","county":"Norfolk","state":"VA","lat":36.86831403100007,"lon":-76.29659046299997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2000-02-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Education"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick Beaux Arts junior high school at 730 Spotswood Avenue in the Ghent neighborhood of Norfolk, Virginia, built in 1921-1922 and designed by the Norfolk firm Calrow, Wrenn and Tazewell.","why_significant":"The school was one of the first two junior high schools built in Norfolk and reflects the new junior high concept approved in Virginia in 1917-1918. It is also considered a fine early 20th century Beaux Arts school by an architect noted for school designs. It is the only one of the original two Norfolk junior high buildings still standing.","narrative":"James Blair Junior High School, at 730 Spotswood Avenue in Norfolk's Ghent neighborhood, is a three-story brick school on an elevated basement, designed in the Beaux Arts style with limestone details, Corinthian pilasters and a monumental granite stair leading to three entrances. Inside, a main hall runs east-west, and a large auditorium with a coffered ceiling, balcony and classical motifs sits opposite the entrance. Designed by Calrow, Wrenn and Tazewell and opened in September 1922 at a cost of $595,400, it was one of Norfolk's first two junior high schools, created after Virginia approved the junior high concept in 1917-1918 and the city adopted a 6-3-3 plan in 1920. It was named for James Blair, founder of the College of William and Mary. It is the only surviving building of the original two and still serves the middle grades. It was recognized for its role in changing educational models and as a fine example of Beaux Arts school design by a prominent architect.","period_of_significance":"1921-1922","architect_builder":"Calrow, Wrenn and Tazewell","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Beaux Arts","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a school (now a middle school), owned by the city; windows were replaced in the mid-1990s and cafeteria and gymnasium additions have been made.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:59.615189-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/57/6821/41682157/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/00000068.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00000068/77fba3c389-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00000068/77fba3c389-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James_Blair_Junior_High_School.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James_Blair_Junior_High_School.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41682157","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Blair_Junior_High_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16842988"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/norfolk/james-blair-junior-high-school-00000068/"}