{"nrhp_refnum":"87001597","name":"Orange Street School","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"500 blk. of Orange St., jct. of Orange and Chance Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fayetteville","county":"Cumberland County","state":"NC","lat":35.064186644000074,"lon":-78.87999207199994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1987-09-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Black","Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, roughly square brick school building at the corner of Orange and Chance streets in downtown Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina, built about 1915 with Neo-Classical detailing.","why_significant":"It is believed to be the oldest surviving public education building, for either race, in Fayetteville, and it is an important reminder of the history of black education in the city. From 1927 to 1940 it also housed the forerunner of E. E. Smith High School, one of only two black high schools in Cumberland County. It is also representative of early twentieth century school architecture in North Carolina.","narrative":"Orange Street School is a two-story brick building in a traditionally black neighborhood of downtown Fayetteville, North Carolina. Built about 1915 as a public graded school, it has a utilitarian industrial form with Neo-Classical touches on its main facade, including an arched central entrance with keystone, brick pilasters and decorative brick panels. Inside, the original wooden floors, blackboards and a tambour door-wall that opens two classrooms into an auditorium survive. The school was built by James Waddell, a locally prominent black contractor. It is believed to be the oldest remaining public education building in the city for either race. From 1927 to 1940 its second floor held the forerunner of E. E. Smith High School, one of only two black high schools in the county. Later it served as a junior high and then as school board offices before being abandoned in 1983. A restoration association now owns it and plans a museum of public education.","period_of_significance":"ca. 1915-1940","architect_builder":"Waddell, James","architectural_style":"Other: Utilitarian Industrial; Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Vacant since 1983, deteriorated but retaining integrity; awaiting restoration by the non-profit foundation that owns it, which plans a museum of public education.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:50.206197-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/50/7198/47719850/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/87001597.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001597/dfb5d84673-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001597/dfb5d84673-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Apc106","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Orange_Street_School_(3).JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Apc106</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:Orange_Street_School_(3).JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47719850","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Street_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18217133"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/cumberland-county/orange-street-school-87001597/"}