Fairfax Public School (Old Fairfax Elementary School Annex)
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Fairfax Public School
| nrhp_type =
| designated_other1 = Virginia Landmarks Register
| designated_other1_date = April 22, 1992{{cite web|title=Virginia Landmarks Register|url=http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/register_counties_cities.htm|publisher=Virginia Department of Historic Resources|accessdate=19 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921053819/http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/register_counties_cities.htm|archive-date=21 September 2013|url-status=dead}}
| designated_other1_number = 151-0038
| designated_other1_num_position = bottom
| image = Fairfax Museum.jpg
| caption = The Old Fairfax Elementary School Annex, now the Fairfax Visitor Center and Museum
| location = 10209 Main St., Fairfax, Virginia
| coordinates = {{coord|38|50|40|N|77|18|4|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = Fairfax#USA Virginia Northern#USA Virginia#USA
| built = {{Start date|1873}}, 1912
| architecture = Classical Revival, Italianate
| added = October 21, 1992
| area = {{convert|1|acre}}
| refnum = 92001367{{NRISref|version=2010a}}
}}
Fairfax Public School, also known as the Old Fairfax Elementary School Annex, is a historic school building located at Fairfax, Virginia. It consists of two sections built in 1873 and 1912, and is a two-story, brick building. The original section lies at the rear of the building, which was later fronted by the two-story, rectangular, hipped roof section. The front facade features a one-story, Classical Revival style portico supported by three fluted Doric order columns at each corner. The building now houses the Fairfax Museum and Visitors Center.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
History
Built in 1873, the building was the first Fairfax Elementary School, and the first brick public school in Fairfax County, Virginia. It was used as a school until 1925 when the building was purchased by the Ku Klux Klan chapter, Cavaliers of Virginia, Inc.{{Cite book|last=Netherton |display-authors=etal. |title=Fairfax, Virginia: A City Traveling Through Time|publisher=Fairfax, VA: History of the City of Fairfax Round Table|page=144|year=1997|location=Fairfax, VA|isbn=0-914927-26-4 }}
A fire damaged the building in 1932, which was repaired in 1937 when the Fairfax County School Board purchased and began using it as a school again. The county held its first special education classes there in the 1950s, after which it was used as a school administration building and then as part of the Northern Virginia Police Academy.{{cite web |url=http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Cities/Fairfax_City/151-0038_Fairfax_Public_School_1992_Final_Nomination.pdf |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Fairfax Public School |author=Susan E. Smead |date=February 1992 |publisher=Virginia Department of Historic Resources |access-date=2013-10-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126203500/http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Cities/Fairfax_City/151-0038_Fairfax_Public_School_1992_Final_Nomination.pdf |archive-date=2017-01-26 |url-status=dead }} and [http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Cities/Fairfax_City/151-0038.FairfaxPublicSchool.photo.html Accompanying photo] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180418060054/https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Cities/Fairfax_City/151-0038.FairfaxPublicSchool.photo.html |date=2018-04-18 }}
Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center
The Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center opened on July 4, 1992, featuring exhibits covering Fairfax and Northern Virginia history. Prior to opening, the building underwent renovations for just under 5 years, which was publicly funded through a city referendum.{{harvnb|Netherton|1997|pp=156–157}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20131023055351/http://www.visitfairfax.com/2011/fairfax-museum-and-visitors-center/ Fairfax Museum and Visitors Center website]
{{City of Fairfax Historic Landmarks}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Virginia |state=expanded}}
Category:School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia
Category:School buildings completed in 1873
Category:Italianate architecture in Virginia
Category:Neoclassical architecture in Virginia
Category:National Register of Historic Places in Fairfax, Virginia
{{FairfaxCityVA-NRHP-stub}}