page_title: Asheville–Buncombe Technical Community College
section_title: Historic buildings
hierarchical_section_title: Asheville–Buncombe Technical Community College / Historic buildings
caption_attribution_description: English: Former auditorium and gymnasium of St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines School, built in 1936 and now owned by A-B Tech
context_page_description: Asheville–Buncombe Technical Community College is a public community college in Asheville, North Carolina. Established in 1959, the college is one of the oldest in the North Carolina Community College System and serves Buncombe and Madison counties across five different campuses, although students from anywhere may enroll. As of the 2014-15 school year, the curriculum enrollment was 10,070 and continuing education enrollment was 14,053 students. These figures make the school one of the largest in the North Carolina system. A-B Tech offers more than 120 degrees, diplomas, and certificates.
context_section_description: The Asheville–Buncombe Technical Community College main campus is on the former estate of Col. John Kerr, a veteran (Confederate) of the American Civil War. The 144-acre campus has historic buildings, including Fernihurst, the Smith-McDowell house and Sunnicrest.
  Fernihurst, the former summer residence of Col. John Kerr, is a brick Italianate style house named after the Kerr family castle in Scotland. Located on a hill, south of the Smith-McDowell house, Fernihurst is part of the A-B Tech Community College Culinary Arts Program.
  The Smith-McDowell house, on the A-B Tech campus, was constructed in 1840 for James McConnell Smith. The house is the oldest brick building in Buncombe County and is currently a nonprofit museum that is included in the National Register of Historic Places.
  Sunnicrest is one of five (and the only remaining) R.S. Smith-designed model cottages built by George Vanderbilt on Vernon Hill in what was then the town of Victoria. Sunnicrest houses the Human Resources Department of the A-B Tech Community College.
  St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines, a Religious of Christian Education school, opened in 1908 and moved to the three-story 80-room former Victoria Inn in 1910, its third location. The school merged with Asheville Country Day School in 1987, creating Carolina Day School. A-B Tech bought the St. Genevieve campus while the new school at Asheville Country Day's campus. The only remaining building from St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines is Ivy Hall, an auditorium and gymnasium built in 1936. A-B Tech announced plans in 2016 to renovate the structure for use as a public event space and College Advancement offices.
caption: Ivy Hall
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