Highland School
Also known as: Highland Graded School
Why it's listed
Built in 1921 in Hickory's northeast residential district, the Highland School is a two-story brick building with a hipped slate roof, laid in common bond with a central round-arched entrance and a nine-bay projecting front pavilion. Designed by civil engineer Loyd Ransom Rink and built by the Elliott Building Company, it opened with about 250 pupils serving elementary and high school grades for the surrounding northwestern area of the county. Its design reflects the era's new approach to school buildings, with an auditorium, central corridor, large classrooms and generous windows. The school remained in use until 1980, and the nomination regards it as a representative example of the statewide effort to replace one- and two-teacher wooden schools with modern brick buildings in the 1920s and 1930s. Its distinctive pivoting sash and original beaded board ceilings survive. A 1950 gymtorium stands beside it.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school is significant architecturally, as an example of 1920s school modernization in North Carolina, and for its role in early twentieth-century public education in Catawba County. It is described as among the forerunners of the statewide shift toward brick consolidated schools, and as the finest building in Catawba County when built.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 90000824, listed June 1, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1017 10th Ave. NE., Hickory |
|---|---|
| County | Catawba County |
| Listed | June 1, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000824 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1921-1940 |
| Architect / builder | Loyd Ransom Rink (designer, civil engineer); Milt Setzer, Elliott Building Company (builder) |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Closed as a school in 1980 and vacant; the school building is undergoing rehabilitation for housing for the elderly. |
| Acreage | 4.2 |
| Coordinates | 35.74268, -81.31632 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 90000824.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18151744
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.