Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 5, 1995 TAG: 9507050020
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KIMBERLY N. MARTIN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Once the $6.1 million renovation is finished, there will be twice as much new structure as there is old.
Still, the image of Carver will be preserved, said Bob Fry, an architect with Kinsey Shane & Associates.
"Every morning, students will walk through the history of Salem," Fry said, especially if they use the Fourth Street entrance to the building.
Using the old, wooden book closets that now are in classrooms, the administrative office will be transformed into a museum.
"We want to maintain Carver's heritage," said Salem Assistant Superintendent Michael Bryant. "We'll have pictures and memorabilia and some of Mr. Harmon's papers."
Chauncey Harmon was Carver's principal from 1953-66. Before the school integrated in the fall of 1966, Carver educated black Roanoke County students in grades 1-12.
However, the office is one of the few parts of the school's original structure that will remain unchanged. The gymnasium, front corridor and the building's facade are others.
But the bottom line is: Carver is going to be different.
The decision for change was not arbitrary.
When Carver was built in 1939, the classrooms exceeded size specifications. However, what satisfied 1939 standards falls short in 1995, in some cases by more than 500 square feet.
The bathrooms do not meet handicap requirements, either.
"You can't do a small renovation to do the things that need to be done," Bryant said.
In 1987, talk began of what to do to fix the problem. The options were clear: Renovate the existing structure or build a new one.
Moving quickly became a moot point, Bryant said. Education guidelines required a 10-acre site for a new elementary school, and Salem didn't have any. So they began drafting plans to renovate.
"The question was 'Can you do it on this site and respect history?''' Fry said.
In his plans, he maximized the school's play area by moving the parking lot and service entrance. Next, he made Carver handicap-accessible by turning it into a two-story building.
Yet, he said, he maintained Carver's original feel.
"We're using the same type of windows in the building, and we're being very sympathetic to what's there," Fry said.
But on the other hand, "we're trying to make this a showcase," Bryant said.
The result is a library with a skylight and a building with lots of windows and natural light.
Fry also is adding a science and technology kiva - a meeting room large enough to handle one grade level of students - a fine-arts kiva; classrooms with the capacity for mounted TVs, sinks and multiple computers; restrooms in all primary classrooms; and a separate workroom for teachers.
"We told the [Salem School] Board that other schools would be jealous," Bryant said.
Construction is scheduled to be completed in 1997.
by CNB