Bishopville High School – Bishopville SC

Description

“Bishopville High School, located in Lee County, was built as a [PWA] project in 1936. The school was designed by well-known Bennettsville architect Henry Dudley Harrall. Shuttered in 2000, attempts have been made in recent years to save this important Depression-era landmark.” Described as “one of the most modern school plants in the state” when it was completed, “Bishopville High School […] is an excellent example of the type of school architecture that flourished as a direct result of the educational reform campaign in South Carolina in the first quarter of the twentieth century. Additionally, it is a noteworthy example of the work of well-respected Bennettsville, South Carolina architect Henry Dudley Harrall. It is also significant as an excellent example of an educational building in the Colonial Revival style built during a period when emergency funds were made available and many projects of this type were completed. The original L-shaped building is a two-story masonry structure and rests on a masonry foundation. The lateral gabled roof consists of a steeply-pitched A-frame with asphalt shingles. The original building’s elongated main block consists of a highly ornate rectangular central section featuring a row of twelve monumental pilasters and two-story flanking, projecting, gabled entrance pavilions. The building’s main facade features a beveled cast stone water table, a cast stone architrave resting atop the pilastrade, cast stone quoins, and a cast stone surrounded entry portal containing a frieze and cornice. At either end of the central block are symmetrical wings that are recessed and less ornate. The rear elevation is less decorative in detailing and fenestration when compared with the building’s facade. Additions to the wings of the building were made in 1956, 1965, and 1986.”   (www.sciway.net)

The PWA provided a $55,000 loan and a $44,484 grant toward the school’s construction. The project was completed at a cost of $100,156. Construction began Feb. 1936 and was completed May 1937.

(PWA Docket No. 1033)

The school was demolished in 2016.