{"nrhp_refnum":"05001410","name":"Elk Park School","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"253 Elk Park School Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Elk Park","county":"Avery County","state":"NC","lat":36.16148303600005,"lon":-81.98019248199995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-12-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Education"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story, E-shaped Rustic Revival stone school building on a hilltop north of the business district of Elk Park, in western Avery County, North Carolina, near the Tennessee border. It was built by the Works Progress Administration between 1935 and 1938.","why_significant":"The school is argued to be significant for its association with education, as an important local educational institution built as a consolidated school under New Deal-era programs. It is also significant as an intact example of a WPA-built Rustic Revival stone school, the largest facility built in the county's late-1930s building campaign. The nomination states that it retains a high degree of integrity.","narrative":"Built by the Works Progress Administration between 1935 and 1938, the one-story stone school on a hilltop above Elk Park, North Carolina, was constructed by local laborers under a federal relief program. Its E-shaped plan, irregularly coursed local stonework, flat stone arches and large banks of windows are typical of the Rustic Revival style used for public buildings across western North Carolina. The building is regarded as the largest of the WPA-built schools in Avery County and was a key part of the county's effort to consolidate its one- and two-teacher schools into centralized facilities. It served elementary students until 1999. Its significance rests on its role in local education during the New Deal era and on its largely intact form. A cafeteria block was added around 1951, and the east wing was extended in 2004 when the interior was converted to apartments.","period_of_significance":"1938-1955","architect_builder":"Works Progress Administration","architectural_style":"Rustic Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Served Avery County elementary students until 1999; converted to sixteen apartment units with a community room in 2004.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:42.747391-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/83/7189/47718983/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/05001410.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001410/2935ecd2a4-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001410/2935ecd2a4-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Brian Stansberry","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elk-Park-Elementary-School-nc1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Brian Stansberry</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elk-Park-Elementary-School-nc1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47718983","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elk_Park_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q17508709"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/avery-county/elk-park-school-05001410/"}