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SCOTT COMMONS
404 W. DECATUR STREET
MADISON, NC 27025
PHONE; (336) 427-5928
FAX; (336)V427-5871
scottcommons@embarqmail.com
Greensboro News & Record (NC)
SCHOOL ROOMS FOR RENT
SCHOOL HAS NEW LIFE AS APARTMENT COMPLEX
The old Madison High School, built in 1930 and a classic example of art deco architecture, has a new life as apartments for senior citizens.
The halls, once covered with student art, now glisten with white paint and await the hanging of prints. Drywall covers the chalkboards. New carpet muffles footfalls.
The former principal's office now is the leasing office for Scott Commons, a complex of 18 one-bedroom and seven two-bedroom apartments for people 55 and older who are on restricted incomes.
"A lot of folks will sleep in the same rooms they went to school in 40 or 50 years ago,'' said Rhonda Sheppard, vice president of asset management for Blue Dolphin Development in Raleigh, one of the property's developers.
But residents may hardly recognize the old schoolrooms that have new windows, refurbished doors, sparkling kitchens and emergency pulls in each unit.
Judy Core, president of Blue Dolphin, has done several projects that involve adaptive reuses of old buildings such as schools and warehouses. The projects present challenges because developers must preserve the historical integrity of the buildings.
"It's almost like constructing a new building inside of a building, utilizing the historical details in place,'' Core said.
For instance, developers couldn't remove the chalkboards or even the writing on them. They could add some, however.
"Before we start construction we always write our names on the chalkboard and the date we were there,'' Core said. "It's like our own little time capsule."
Known most recently as the Scott School, the building stands in the Decatur-Hunter historic district. It was one of the first large high schools constructed as the result of Gov. Charles Brantley Aycock's emphasis on the importance of public education.
Designed by Harry Barton and built by J.R. Owen & Sons, both of Greensboro, the building has fluted granite pilasters and an elaborate art deco-style cornice. It featured an auditorium and a gymnasium. When it opened in 1931, it was considered one of the finest schools in the state.
In 1957, workers added a one-story addition to the building. When the Madison and Mayodan high schools were combined in 1961 and a new senior high was built between the towns, the school became Madison Junior High.
Later, it was renamed the Scott School in honor of principal Charles Scott, and it served as an elementary school until the late 1980s.
Students who went there then would be surprised at the transformation.
At Scott Commons, the apartments range in size from 684 square feet for a one-bedroom unit to 1,126 square feet for a two-bedroom unit. They have large walk-in closets and small dining/sitting areas.
Some are equipped for hearing impaired or disabled people and can accommodate wheelchairs. In all of them, bright light streams through the ceiling-to-floor windows.
Because the developers can't change the interior walls of the building, each apartment is slightly different.
"We have to take the floor plan of the school and measure it out so each apartment has a kitchen, living/dining area, master bedroom and a large closet," Core said.
"In some units, the little door to the right is the coat room. There's an extra little portion to be used as a sitting area because you can't remove the wall.''
The original classroom doors on each unit have been refurbished, and most feature six windowpanes and transoms.
"It gives it some character and ambience," Core said.
Core's company bought the building at 404 W. Decatur St. from Burton and Adilee H. Matherly, who owned it and two adjacent school buildings.
Matherly had used the school for an office-supply company and to store office equipment.
Now, the old locker rooms and offices have been turned into a community room with a kitchen, where residents can have potluck dinners and birthday parties. In the game rooms, residents will be able to play poker and bridge.
Outside, there's a gazebo and picnic area, a small raised bed offers a place for gardeners to plant vegetables and flowers and a couple of horseshoe pits invite players to friendly games.
The apartments are within walking distance of a bank, post office and doctor's office and within a half-mile of a grocery store and restaurants.
The cafeteria and auditorium have been closed, but Core's company hopes to lease them to the town or some other organization to be used for public functions.
Caption:
JOSEPH RODRIGUEZ/ News & Record
The former Madison High School has been transformed into Scott Commons, apartments for people 55 and older,
A cornerstone at the school is dated 1930.
Memo:
SCOTT COMMONS
Scott Commons is for income-restricted people ages 55 and older. Half of the units are for people who make 50 percent or less of the median income in Rockingham County:
WAJ Management is taking applications for the units now. Call 427-5928.
Copyright (c) 2004 Greensboro News & Record
Record Number: 0408220361
For the purpose of this website, I have removed any unnecessary information.
