Yancey Collegiate Institute Historic District is a historic

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

complex and national

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

located at Burnsville,

Yancey County, North Carolina Yancey County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,470. Its county seat is Burnsville. This land was inhabited by the Cherokee prior to European settlement, as was much of the S ...

. The district encompasses seven contributing buildings, one contributing structure, and one contributing object built between 1914 and 1955. Contributing resources include the Brown Dormitory for Boys (1914), (Former) Burnsville High School Gymnasium (

Parkway Playhouse The Parkway Playhouse, located in Burnsville, North Carolina, is the oldest continually operating summer theater in North Carolina. It was established in 1947 by Dr. William Raymond Taylor, a professor of drama at Woman's College on Greensboro, N ...

, 1933, 1947, 1955), an outdoor amphitheater (1950-1952), the

Classical Revival Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

style (Second) Administration Building for Yancey Collegiate Institute (1919, 1922), Gymnasium (c. 1946), former Burnsville High School built by the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

(1939) and a stone retaining wall (c. 1950). The Yancey Collegiate Institute (YCI) was established in 1901 and sponsored by the

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

church. The YCI educated students until 1926, when the facilities were sold to the Yancey County Board of Education. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

References

Works Progress Administration in North Carolina School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina Neoclassical architecture in North Carolina Colonial Revival architecture in North Carolina Buildings and structures in Yancey County, North Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Yancey County, North Carolina {{YanceyCountyNC-NRHP-stub