Poynor School is a historic school building constructed from 1906 to 1908 in

Florence, South Carolina Florence is a city in and the county seat of Florence County, South Carolina, United States. It lies at the intersection of Interstates 20 and 95 and is the eastern terminus of the former. It is the primary city within the Florence metropolit ...

. It was designed by local architect William J. Wilkins and was the contractor's first commission as an architect. Now known as Poynor Junior High School, it is located at 301 South Dargan Street and is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

(May 19, 1983). The three-story brick building is in a Neoclassical

Georgian Revival Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I, George II, Georg ...

style. Construction was carried out by J.F. Ong of

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city ...

according to plans by W.J. Wilkins who revised the original plans by

Charles Coker Wilson Charles C. Wilson (November 20, 1864 – 1933), whose full name is Charles Coker Wilson, was an American architect based in Columbia, South Carolina. Wilson was born in Hartsville, South Carolina, and graduated from South Carolina College with ...

. The building includes features a central tetrastyle colossal Ionic portico with six bays on either side of the

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

and four-bay pavilions at each end of the main block. A banquet for President

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

was held at the school in 1910. The building and grounds have also been used for recitals, concerts, meetings, lectures, tournaments, fundraisers, and extracurricular classes.

References

School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Colonial Revival architecture in South Carolina School buildings completed in 1908 Buildings and structures in Florence County, South Carolina Georgian Revival architecture in South Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Florence County, South Carolina 1908 establishments in South Carolina {{SouthCarolina-school-stub