{"nrhp_refnum":"04000040","name":"Simms, Lucy F., School","other_names":["115-5035"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"620 Simms Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Harrisonburg (Independent City)","county":"Harrisonburg","state":"VA","lat":38.454529251000054,"lon":-78.85811781599995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-02-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Black","Education"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick school building at 620 Simms Avenue in Harrisonburg, Virginia, built in 1938-1939 as an elementary and high school for African-American students, with a matching wing added in 1961.","why_significant":"It is argued to be an unusually well-preserved example of an African-American school built with Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works funds, among the last such projects before the program ended. It served Black students from Harrisonburg and surrounding counties until desegregation in 1965/66 and acted as a community focal point. It was named for Lucy F. Simms, a Black teacher born into slavery on the site.","narrative":"Lucy F. Simms School, at 620 Simms Avenue in Harrisonburg, is a two-story brick building completed in 1939 to serve African-American elementary and high school students. It replaced the condemned Effinger School, which federal inspectors had called a fire hazard. Funding combined a Public Works Administration grant covering 45 percent of the cost with city money and a State Literary Fund loan. The design came from stock plans by the Virginia Department of Education, and Nielson Construction Company of Harrisonburg built it. Cost overruns delayed one four-room wing until 1961. The school is named for Lucy F. Simms, a teacher born into slavery on the land where it stands. It drew students from Harrisonburg and nearby counties and served as a social center for the Black community until desegregation closed it in 1966. Original floor plan, Brictile wainscoting, lockers, windows and gymnasium survive, and the building remains in community use.","period_of_significance":"1939-1954","architect_builder":"Virginia Department of Education; Nielson Construction Company (builders)","architectural_style":"Other","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Closed as a school in 1966 but in continuous use since by civic organizations, a Boys and Girls Club, a life-skills training center and some city offices; rehabilitation was planned.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:03.197596-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/10/6812/41681210/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/04000040.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000040/ead9d456b6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000040/ead9d456b6-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Strawser","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lucy_F_Simms_School_Harrisonburg_VA_Sept_2013.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Strawser</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lucy_F_Simms_School_Harrisonburg_VA_Sept_2013.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41681210","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_F._Simms_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15243061"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/harrisonburg/simms-lucy-f-school-04000040/"}