Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 06/21/2018
NRHP Listing Date 01/14/2019
NRHP Reference Number MP100003312
Constructed in 1922 and one of seven Rosenwald schools built in Albemarle County, St. John School served African American students in the Cobham and Gordonsville area from its opening in 1923 until it closed in 1954. The school exemplifies the Rosenwald T-shape “Floor Plan No. 20,” a two-room, two-teacher school designed by architect Samuel L. Smith, who served as director of the Rosenwald Fund starting in 1920. The fund contributed $700 and the plan for the St. John School, with the local African American community providing $400, and the white community, $100. The Albemarle County school board matched these donations with another $1,200. Today, the well-preserved St. John School retains most of its historic fabric amid its rural setting.
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Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: August 3, 2022
