High Point Central High School
| High Point Central High School | |
|---|---|
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| Location | |
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801 Ferndale Blvd. High Point, North Carolina United States |
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| Information | |
| Type | Public secondary |
| Established | 1897 |
| Principal | Bryan Johnson |
| Faculty | 122 |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 1,400 |
| Campus | Urban |
| Newspaper | Pointer (no longer in publication) |
| Yearbook | Pemican |
| Website | hpc.gcsnc.com |
High Point Central High School is a public high school located in High Point, North Carolina. The school has a population of approximately 1,450 students in 9th–12th grades. The school's offerings include Advanced Placement classes and the International Baccalaureate degree program.
The High Point City Schools were established in 1897, but there was not a distinct high school until "High Point High School" was founded in 1926. The current building was erected in 1926 on what was formerly the High Point city fair grounds and is the oldest high school in Guilford County. It is an example of Gothic architecture, with three floors and four towers. Charles F. Thomlinson was the Chair of the school board when High Point High School was built. He was the first person to have a vision for what High Point High School should be like. In 1926, T. Wingate Andrews (Superintendent of High Point City Schools) presided over the dedication of the building. In 1969, with the closing of High Point's William Penn High School a second high school in High Point (T. Wingate Andrews) ended High Point's era of School segregation. High Point High School was renamed "High Point Central High School" around 1962 and is so named today.
The current building was completed in 1926 and designed by Greensboro architect Harry Barton, in Collegiate Gothic style. The building was considered the grandest educational building in the state and was modern for its time. The building was decorated in tapestry brick with terracotta architectural ornamentation. The halls on the interior of the building had tile and terrazzo floors, intricate plaster moldings and ceiling medallions with cherubs, fine woodworking and custom cabinetry.
High Point High School was also outfitted with modern technological innovations for its time including a central vacuum system, and an innovative heating and air conditioning system. The three Gothic entrance towers, each four stories high, held an ice bin. Large fans circulated the cool air from the ice bins throughout the school. The melt water was intended to be used in the several water fountains throughout the campus.
The grounds of High Point High School were landscaped by prominent landscape architect Earl S. Draper, who had also designed the High Point suburb of Emerywood. The campus had a network of sidewalks, complemented by oak trees and shrubbery. The campus also had hedges surrounding the eastern and northern boundaries of the campus along Ferndale Boulevard and the sports field. A driveway for cars and buses ran along the front of the school and was cased by a grand gateway built of tapestry brick, and cast stone ornamentation. Sadly, much of the cast stone ornamentation was lost over the years to vandalism. The sports ground originally included a tennis court, baseball field, and a track and field. Over the years, it has grown to include a large gymnasium and an expanded tennis court.
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