Cliffside Public School
Why it's listed
Cliffside Public School is a two-story brick building on a raised basement, set on a grassy forecourt at the north end of the Cliffside mill village in southeast Rutherford County. Louis Humbert Asbury, Sr., a Charlotte architect, designed it in 1920, and it was built in 1920-1921 and dedicated on 22 April 1922. Its T-shaped plan, multicolored glazed brick, and Indiana limestone portico and stringcourses are typical of Classical Revival school design. The school was commissioned by Charles Henry Haynes, president of Cliffside Mills, to replace a frame school that had become too small. It is regarded as the first modern school in Rutherford County and an early example of the consolidated school buildings of the 1920s. Clyde Atkinson Erwin, who served as the village's superintendent from 1919 to 1926, worked closely on its planning. The adjoining vocational and physical education building was built with Work Projects Administration labor in 1940-1941.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school was the first modern school building in Rutherford County and a precursor to consolidated schools of the 1920s. It also cites its association with the Haynes family of Cliffside Mills, with superintendent Clyde Atkinson Erwin, and with the Work Projects Administration vocational and physical education building of 1940-1941.
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 97001667, listed January 26, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1 N. Main St., Cliffside |
|---|---|
| County | Rutherford County |
| Listed | January 26, 1998 |
| Reference number | 97001667 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1920-1941 |
| Architect / builder | Louis Humbert Asbury, Sr. (architect); builder not identified in the form |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Education, Politics/Government, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied as a school in 1921 and in use as a school at the time of the nomination |
| Acreage | 16 |
| Coordinates | 35.24689, -81.76933 (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.
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 97001667.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19865149
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.