Jefferson School digs its success

Another obstacle was recently overcome in the City’s efforts to revitalize the Jefferson School, the Fourth Street site that for generations served Charlottesville’s African-American community. The structure is now one step closer to being placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
    A backhoe tore up the parking lot in front of Carver Recreation Center on August 1, allowing an archeological team to begin searching for the remains of the old Jefferson School—a two-and-a-half storey, nine-room brick schoolhouse demolished around 1960. The archeological team found two corners of the building’s foundation, dating to the late 19th century, as well as some artifacts that weren’t significant enough to be catalogued, says City Spokesman Ric Barrick.
    A paltry find, perhaps—but the dig provided more than enough evidence for the riches the City seeks: Tax credits, which could total $8 million if the site wins the coveted historical designation. The foundation remnants establish that the site should be dated to 1894, instead of 1926, when the first portion of the “new” Jefferson School was built as a high school. A historian, who was hired by the City along with the archeologist, will now amend the historic application to reflect the older date, improving the chances that the Virginia Department of Historic Resources will approve the designation in December, according to Rochelle Small-Toney, assistant city manager. City Council will also need to set up a new ownership structure, since the tax credits would not apply if the City owned the facility.
    The tax credits will help finance renovations projected to cost up to $30 million. The plan is to restore the building and the site in such a way that it will, as Small-Toney puts it, “honor the educational and social purposes of African-Americans in Charlottesville and the surrounding areas.”