{"nrhp_refnum":"00000558","name":"Douglas School","other_names":["Douglas Community Learning Center","138-5002"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"598 N. Kent St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Winchester (Independent City)","county":"Winchester","state":"VA","lat":39.19408008900004,"lon":-78.15630400951017,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2000-05-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Black","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Douglas School is a Colonial Revival brick school building at 598 N. Kent Street in Winchester, Virginia, built in 1927 and expanded in 1940, 1951 and 1962. It was designed by architect R. V. Long.","why_significant":"It served as the only Black school in Winchester from 1927 until integration in 1966, and also educated Black students from surrounding counties. It is also an excellent example of Colonial Revival architecture using a central auditorium plan developed by the Virginia Department of Education. It was built partly with funds from the John Handley bequest.","narrative":"Douglas School is a brick Colonial Revival school on North Kent Street in Winchester, Virginia. Completed in 1927 to a design by state architect R. V. Long, it follows a central auditorium plan developed by the Virginia Department of Education. A four-column portico, nine-over-nine wood windows and a transomed double doorway mark the exterior. Funding came partly from the bequest of Judge John Handley, with a state literary fund loan. For nearly four decades it was the city's only school for Black students, closing in 1966 when Winchester integrated its schools. It grew from grades one through nine to a full twelve-year program, and drew students from Frederick, Warren and Shenandoah counties under tuition agreements. Additions were made in 1940, 1951 and 1962. The school also hosted recreation programs and children of seasonal orchard workers. Today the building serves as a community learning center, houses a police sub-station and hosts neighborhood groups.","period_of_significance":"1927-1949","architect_builder":"R. V. Long, architect; Gardner & Newcome of Stephens City, VA, contractors","architectural_style":"Colonial Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Now used as the Douglas Community Learning Center, with a police sub-station and neighborhood groups meeting in the building.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:00.638073-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/60/6841/41684160/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/00000558.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00000558/a5efafd14c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00000558/a5efafd14c-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Joel Bradshaw","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Douglas_School,_Winchester,_Virginia.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Joel Bradshaw</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Douglas_School,_Winchester,_Virginia.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41684160","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16962514"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/winchester/douglas-school-00000558/"}