Asheville High, built in 1927 and designed by the city's most famous architect, Douglas Ellington, is experiencing water damage and needs its entire main roof replaced, Asheville City Schools Superintendent Pamela Baldwin said Tuesday.
Baldwin talked about the school's repair needs during a Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting that focused on finances and capital costs. The county pays for construction of Asheville City and Buncombe County schools.
"I think we have done as much as we can do in the form of patchwork," Baldwin told commissioners. "Because we have so much internal leaking at this point it will be very difficult to stop any other leaking with patchwork."
The school houses the regular high school, the alternative school and the School of Inquiry and Life Sciences.
Baldwin said the building represented a significant responsibility.
"With really old beautiful buildings comes some other things we have to address," she said.
County Manager Wanda Greene said work should start "in just a few months" to stop further damage.
The county would likely use a 20-year loan, Greene said. The money would either come from the general fund, paid for mostly by property tax owners, or if a special piece of state legislation passes, sales tax money could be used, she said.
Senate Bill 888 would shift the way specially earmarked Buncombe sales tax money is distributed between the county's two school systems, providing more for Asheville City Schools construction.
The school at 419 McDowell St. is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Ellington designed it in the Art Deco style, which he used in his other landmark structures including City Hall, First Baptist Church, the Merrimon Avenue Fire Station and the S&W Cafeteria.
Born in Clayton, North Carolina, the architect came to Asheville in the 1920s boom years. That exuberant time matched his bold style featuring domes, colorful stone and tiles, and zigzag geometric patterns.