The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1921-07-01
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL TO
HAVE MANY IMPROVEMENTS
Several Handsome New Buildings and Beautifica-
cation of Grounds Included in Plans-To Be
the Show Place of Elizabeth City


buildings for the Co1ored State
Normal School at Elizabeth City
call for improvements that will
make this school one of the not
able educational institutions of
the state and the greatest show
place in Elizabeth City. Of all
the money appropriated by the
last General Assembly for state
institutions for the Negroes,
more than a third has been a1lot-
ted to the Normal School at Eliz-
abeth City. An architect has
been employed, plans are being
drawn and contracts for water,
sewerage, buildings and land
scape gardening will be let at an
early date. An effort will be
made to complete the buildings
by Jan. /, 1922.
The architect is James A. Salter, of
Raleigh, formerly state architect and
conceded to be the best man available
for the work. Mr.. Salter has been di-
rected to lose no time in completing
plans and specifications. Contracts will
be let as soon as the plans are COM
pleted and contractors from Norfolk,
nooga and other cities already have
their eyes on the Job.
It is planned to spend $1S0,OOO at
once for buildings alone, a separate fund
being available for furnishing the build
ings when completed. To begin with,
the present administration building and
girls .dormitOry will be converted into
one big girls dormitory and dining
room. A new administration building to
cost not less than $4,000 will be built
just to the West of the girls dOrmi-
tory.
Other plans will call for a home for
the principal of the schools, a teach
erage for the faculty, model practice
school, modern kitchen, private water
supply and sewerage disposal system.
The model practice school to cost
$1,000 will be show place by itself,
being designed to show how a model
thrce-teacher country school should be
built. The building and grounds will be
as beautiful and inspiring as it is pos
sible to make them. More than en- acre
of ground will be allotted to this one
building alone. There are 40 acres in
all in the school grounds.
The architect, Mr.. Salter, was in
Elizabeth City this week in conference
with the Board of Trustees and Prof.
N. @. Newbold, State Director of Negro
Education. Mr.. Salter was accompanied
by John J. Blair, state supervisor of
schoolhouse planning. Mr.. Blair is an
expert in school planning and landscape
art. The new buildings will therefore
be designed to compose an impressive
and harmonious group with beautiful
grounds for a setting. The most expert
in the state will be en-
ployed to develop the grounds and sup
ply trees, shrubbery and flowers where
needed for the greatest beauty and eff
fectiveness.>
The state expects to eventually make
this school for Negroes at Elizabeth
City just as big and efficient as some of
its schools for the training of white
teachers. The state is interested in de-
veloping the highest possible type of
Negro teacher and it's policy is to do
more and more for it's colored teacher
training schools. Those in Elizabeth
City who have paid little attention to
the State Normal School here will ride
out that way next summer to find that
the state of North Carolina has done
something big and beautiful at Elizabeth
City.
The buildings to be erected this year
will not complete the plans of the State
Department of Education for the i'm
provement of the Elizabeth City school.
There remains a boys dormitory to be
built and another wing will be added to
the girls dormitory. Then there is an
industrial arts and gymnasium building
to be built for the men. The General
of 1923 will be asked for an
appropriation to provide for these addi-
tional buildings.