Green McAdoo School: property description

              Description, Green McAdoo School
MTSU Center for Historic Preservation, 2005
Green McAdoo School (1935, 1947-48, c. 1954) occupies a hillside location on Foley Hill facing south toward the downtown center of Clinton, the seat of Anderson County, Tennessee. Surrounded by a few houses and a neighborhood church, the historic multi-gable brick building has a prominent location in the African American neighborhood. The school has three distinct building dates: 1935 when the primary section of the building was constructed from architect Frank Barber’s design; 1947-48, when the kitchen and cafeteria were added; and c. 1954 when the adjacent school gymnasium was constructed. The school building has a few alterations but it maintains its historic integrity.
The south facade of the school has five bays, dominated by an arcade composed of three semi-circular arched entrances in the center. The arcade was filled in by concrete blocks with a red brick veneer c. 1965, leaving only a new metal entrance door in the centermost arch. The semi circular top archway surrounding the metal door is approximately seven feet wide by nineteen feet high. The arch is made out of eight inch red brick using a whole brick, half brick spacing in the complete surface of the arch. The two remaining archways are located at sixteen inches spacing from the outer edge of the center arch, and are filled in to a solid surface with eight inch red brick that match the existing brick construction somewhat but not exactly; the original arcading is still visible. Also c. 1965, the porch of the building was altered with a concrete porch with four eight-inch steps to a thirty-two inch rise to top of porch. The porch is closed on two sides with steel tubular handrails. Flanking the center section are two matching gabled end wings that are defined by brick quoins. Both wings have two symmetrical two over two horizontal pane windows with rectangular building vents located at the gable field.
An extended part of the south facade is the kitchen wing, added in 1947-48. This brick three-bay wing is centered on a metal entrance door. This door is covered at the top with a canvas type umbrella-style awning, and joined by a wooden deck, which was installed c. 2000. Flanking the entrance are symmetrically located one-over-one double-hung windows. Adding the cafeteria wing to the original school building created a long horizontal facade, with the overall length of the building being approximately 100 feet.
The east elevation of the building, approximately thirty-six feet in length, is dominated by the cafeteria addition of 1947-1948. There are two symmetrically located one-over-two double-hung windows. This end of the building is capped by a gable roof that extends to a shed roof at the south. A rectangular brick vent is in the gable field, and a high square brick chimney is located at the southern end. The east elevation is set below ground level; to reach a rear playground and parking lot, a sidewalk and eleven concrete steps that rise to the level land surface were installed c. 1950.
The north elevation is asymmetrical due to the two different building periods. The elevation has fifteen bays, comprised of fourteen one-over-two windows and a rear entrance metal door. At the east end of the elevation is a shed-roof extension with symmetrically located one-over-one windows. On the west side of the extension is a centered metal door. A low concrete ramp, with metal railing, was installed c. 1980; the ramp allows handicapped access to the cafeteria and also allows for delivery. This elevation has an approximate length of 100 feet.