building selection and justification

Antonio Moretz

Name of Building - The Princeton Graded School
Date of Construction - 1925-1926
Designer - S.L. Smith
Location - 601-611 W. Edwards St. Princeton, N.C.

This school was one of 5300 schools built for African- Americans in the 1920’s, funded partially with personal money from Julius Rosenwald, the owner of Sears and Roebuck department stores. These schools brought together the small African- American communities to raise additional funds and collectively have a school of their own. The Princeton Graded School was built using a set of plans provided to the community and changed in size according to the needs of that town. The building utilizes a north-south direction that helps with heating and over sized windows provided natural daylight that was specified by the designer. Clerestories were utilized to provide additional natural light. A large auditorium was included for the students as well as a meeting place for the community. This brick building was build using the community’s volunteer labor, in addition to local skilled labor. This truly was a building built By the People, For the People.
This building is Crucial to the history of America and the history of Universal Design of desegregated schools being built today.