Henderson County Schools
Hendersonville High School
Hendersonville High School, chartered in 1901, has served as an anchor and a point of pride in the Hendersonville community for well over a century. When the time came to re-imagine the school’s existing facilities for a new chapter of use, the community was passionate about celebrating and preserving as much of the school’s history as possible – including the 1926 Stillwell Building, a stately brick structure that conveys the historical gravitas appropriate to academic pursuits.
The design team partnered with Henderson County Public Schools and the Henderson County Board of Commissioners to study the on-site replacement of the existing Hendersonville High School. The project goal was to create a modern, secure, and fully accessible campus that respects the existing history and traditions of Hendersonville High School.
LOCATION: Hendersonville, NC
SIZE: 175,000 SF
COMPLETED: 2023
Strategic Reconfiguration
The team determined that the 1920’s historic Stillwell Building could be renovated and preserved to serve future generations. The design reconfigured the circulation to harness additional space, which now accommodates 24 classrooms meeting current classroom size standards. The renovated auditorium expanded the capacity from 800 to 924 seats while addressing accessibility issues; the refreshed space will continue to host both school and community events.
As a graduate of Hendersonville High and school board chair, it makes me extremely proud that this newly renovated campus will be here for at least the next 100 years to serve the next generations of Bearcats.
Blair Craven | Chair of the Henderson County Board of Public Education
Drawing Connections
The new construction connects the two existing structure: lightly touching the historic Stillwell Building via a second-story glass sky bridge (affectionately called “The Catwalk) and wrapping around the 1970’s era gymnasium by adding an auxiliary gym and lockers space below. The new two-story building contains administrative offices, science labs, band and chorus rehearsal spaces, various career and technical education labs, cafeteria, and media center.
Phased Approach
The design solution included logistically maintaining a fully occupied high school during the duration of demolition and construction. This was achieved by repurposing existing structures as swings space within multiple construction phases.
