{"nrhp_refnum":"10000561","name":"Central High School","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"32308 Lankford Hwy.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Painter","county":"Accomack County","state":"VA","lat":37.59994167950006,"lon":-75.77656346155925,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2010-08-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick Art Deco school complex on Lankford Highway (US 13) between Painter and Keller in Accomack County, Virginia, built in two phases in 1932 and 1935, with early outbuildings and later athletic facilities.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the school is an excellent, large-scale example of Art Deco design and a rare example of that style on the Eastern Shore, qualifying under Criterion C at the local level. It was also the county's first district-wide high school and served as an educational focal point until 1984. The historic outbuildings and intact site support its integrity.","narrative":"Central High School is a two-story, T-shaped brick building set back from Lankford Highway (US 13) between the Eastern Shore towns of Painter and Keller in Accomack County. Built in two matching phases, in 1932 and 1935, it follows the Art Deco style common to 1930s schools, with brick patterns, pilasters, and limestone and granite detailing at its entrances. Contractor J.W. Hudson of Raleigh, North Carolina built the first phase, and his son, J.W. Hudson, Jr., built the second with Public Works Administration support. Three early outbuildings, a double classroom, a vocational shop and a home economics cottage, remain on the site. Central was the county's first district-wide high school, combining several earlier student bodies, and it served as a high school until 1984, when it became a middle school. Its large-scale Art Deco design, which is rare on the Eastern Shore, and its intact historic core support its local architectural significance.","period_of_significance":"1932-c.1939","architect_builder":"J.W. Hudson (1932); J.W. Hudson, Jr. (1935)","architectural_style":"Modern Movement/Art Deco","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Current function is listed as vacant; the main building served as a high school until 1984, then as a middle school. Some modern athletic facilities and the playground are deteriorated.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:03.266826-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/93/6791/41679193/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/10000561.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10000561/059f50b50d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10000561/059f50b50d-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Ammodramus","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Central_High_School_(Accomack_Co_VA)_from_SE_1.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Ammodramus</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:Central_High_School_(Accomack_Co_VA)_from_SE_1.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41679193","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_High_School_(Painter,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14691896"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/accomack-county/central-high-school-10000561/"}