Granite Quarry School
Also known as: Schuford Memorial Elementary School; Granite Quarry Elementary School
Why it's listed
Built in 1933 of locally quarried granite, this one-story school at the corner of White Rock Avenue and Dunn's Mountain Road served African American students in Granite Quarry until 1968. The H-plan main building has a granite veneer over a frame structure, pedimented porticoes, and an interior that keeps its original corridor, auditorium stage, hardwood floors and plaster walls. Its design came from a Community School Plans pamphlet. Community volunteers, many of them quarrymen, helped build it, with money from the state Literary Fund, the Slater Fund, local citizens and the Harris Granite Quarries, which also gave the land. Brick additions followed in 1956 for bathrooms and a cafeteria designed by Leslie N. Boney, and in 1960 for primary classrooms designed by Wayne Koontz. The school closed after desegregation of county schools. A vocational workshop later used the building until 1999, and it now stands empty apart from occasional use as a nutrition site for the elderly. It was listed for its role in education and ethnic heritage and for its architecture.
Significance in brief: The school educated African American students in Granite Quarry from 1933 to 1968 and reflects cooperative local, state and philanthropic efforts to build Black schools in rural North Carolina. It is also a highly intact Depression-era school built of locally quarried granite from a Community School Plans design.
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 01000017, listed February 7, 2001. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 706 Dunn's Mountain Rd., Granite Quarry |
|---|---|
| County | Rowan County |
| Listed | February 7, 2001 |
| Reference number | 01000017 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1933-1968 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown (the 1956 cafeteria was designed by Leslie N. Boney and the 1960 classroom building by Wayne Koontz) |
| Architectural style | No Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture, Black |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The school stands empty except for occasional use as a nutrition site for the elderly; the town and other parties have expressed interest in its future. |
| Acreage | 2.3 |
| Coordinates | 35.61590, -80.43505 (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 01000017.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19866996
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.