{"nrhp_refnum":"02000178","name":"Monterey High School","other_names":["Highland High School","Monterey Elementary School","Highland Elementary School","Highland Center","Vdhr 262-0082"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Spruce St., 0.5 mi. S of US 250","address_restricted":false,"city":"Monterey","county":"Highland County","state":"VA","lat":38.40970885100006,"lon":-79.58666112799995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-03-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story Classical Revival school building on Spruce Street at the edge of the town of Monterey, Highland County, Virginia, built in 1922 from a standard state eight-room plan and now known as the Highland Center.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the school is a surviving example of an early state-assisted education building in Virginia (Criterion C), retaining much original fabric and distinctive locally quarried garnet sandstone walls. It also meets Criterion A for education, reflecting the state's growing commitment to educating residents even in the mountains of western Virginia.","narrative":"Built in 1922 on Spruce Street at the edge of Monterey, in Highland County, Virginia, this one-story school was based on the State Board of Education's standard eight-room plan. Its walls are garnet sandstone, locally called red rock, quarried on nearby Monterey Mountain, and a portico with paired Roman Doric columns marks the Classical Revival entrance. Classrooms surround a double-height auditorium and gymnasium lit by clerestory windows. L. W. Puffenbarger of Staunton won the construction contract for $33,400, and local residents raised $12,000 by subscription. The school opened in 1923 as a four-year high school, and by the 1957-58 school year it served all high school students in the county. After a new high school opened in 1963, the building became an elementary school until it closed in 1997. A nonprofit group bought it to serve as a community center, and it now houses county offices. It was listed for its architecture and its role in education.","period_of_significance":"1922-1951","architect_builder":"Virginia State Board of Education (Design); Puffenbarger, Luther Wayne (Builder)","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Closed as a school in 1997 and sold to a nonprofit; it now houses the Highland Center, the county Chamber of Commerce and Arts Council offices. Described as in fair condition with deferred maintenance.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:00.831039-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/1/6813/41681301/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/02000178.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02000178/7636043dc3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02000178/7636043dc3-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monterey_High_School,_now_Highland_Center.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monterey_High_School,_now_Highland_Center.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41681301","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monterey_High_School_(Monterey,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14712878"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/highland-county/monterey-high-school-02000178/"}