"Sparta, located in southwestern Middle Tennessee, is the only major community and the county seat of rural White County. The White County Community Building is located on the south side of the public square in Sparta facing the White County Courthouse. Designed in the Classical Revival style, the Community Building reflects a popular style for many public buildings of the Depression era. The building has been well maintained and altered only slightly, retaining the majority of its original architectural features including: windows, bathroom fixtures, and light fixtures. The Community Building is set back from the street more than the rest of the buildings on the square, which provides a small grassy area in front of the building for a flagpole and a recently placed marker for White County veterans of World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. A retaining wall surrounds the north, south, and west facades and hides most of the raised basement from view.
The Community Building is two stories tall with a barrel shaped roof covered with tar paper. A continuous concrete block foundation is visible from the west, north, and south elevations. The brick veneer of the first and second floors is arranged in a running bond pattern on the facade with the other three elevations composed of a common bond pattern. The Community Building is laid out in a rectangular plan with the basement and first floor containing offices and the second floor containing an auditorium, stage, and small kitchen. New exterior doors were added to the building in the 1950s, which is the only architectural feature that has been altered. All, but four, of the windows of the Community Building have fixed metal sashes consisting of: a six-pane awning section at the top portion of the windows, and a three pane hopper section located at the sill of each window for ventilation. The building has three chimneys that were once used with a coal furnace that has been converted to gas. The roof covering and gutters were replaced in 1990.
The facade of the Community Building faces north and is divided into three bays. It has a parapet wall that conceals the structure's barrel shaped roof. A pair of concrete fluted pilasters, painted white, flanks the main entrance and a large window opening containing a 25-light fixed metal sash on the second floor. Comprising the main entrance are two centrally located metal and glass doors that are topped by a large single pane transom and surrounded by a molded architrave. Eight small concrete quoins surround the central window. The pilasters support an entablature that is embellished with dentils and has "American Legion" painted on the frieze. Resting above the entablature is a brick parapet wall, which is accented with a thick cornice at the base. Both the cornice and the parapet wall extend wrap around to the bordering elevations. An accompanying stringcourse is located at the base of the frieze and extends around to the adjoining elevations. Above the concrete entablature is a brick parapet wall, which is joined by two small panels outlined in concrete. Two decorative scrolled consoles ornament the central panel of the parapet wall. A masonry pilaster is located on each end of the facade capped by a simple concrete capital. In between the concrete pilasters and the masonry pilasters on each side of the facade is a window with a twelve-light fixed metal sash. The sills for these widows are concrete. Used as a design element, the roughly textured masonry of the facade is different from the common brick found on the other three elevations. Vertical rows of very dark, hardened stretchers surround the two outside windows creating a panel that extends to the lower part of the facade near the base of the pilasters. Concrete sills form the base of the brick panels.
The east elevation reveals fifteen symmetrically placed large windows with fixed metal sash and a small window with a four-panel fixed metal sash located on the first floor of the northern most section of the elevation. A concrete stringcourse extends the length of the elevation acting as a sill for the first floor windows. The cornice and concrete stringcourse of the facade continue around to the eastern most bays, but does not extend the length of the elevation. Five basement windows
pierce the concrete foundation. The windows are square and have 25-light fixed metal sashes. A section of seven rows of running bond bricks divide the foundation from the cast concrete belt that runs the length of the elevation. The belt course acts as a sill for five of the six first story square 20-light windows. The sixth window, located at the rear of the building is a divided four over two with metal sash and a concrete sill. A plain concrete lintel tops each window on the first floor. Two
air-conditioning units project from the third and fifth first story windows. The five windows for the second floor are larger than the other two stories. The second story windows have 25-light fixed metal sashes and arched lintels of concrete and segmental arches composed of two rows of rowlock masonry. Vinyl gutters are found at the roofline that empty into metal downspouts in the middle and rear of the elevation.
The west elevation is composed of fourteen symmetrically placed large windows with fixed metal sash and a small four-panel window with a fixed metal sash and a side entry door located on the first floor of the northernmost section of the elevation. The basement has four windows with 20 light fixed metal sash. The two westernmost windows are partially covered with plywood and have air conditioning units projecting from them. Concrete steps project from the front of the basement, which lead to a single pane glass metal door on the first floor. Cast iron handrails lead around the concrete steps and landing. A small square vinyl awning and light cover the concrete landing. The first floor has four, square windows with 20-light fixed metal sashes that are divided by a double four over four window. A concrete stringcourse makes up the sill for the four large square windows and all five are topped by simple cast concrete lintels. The second story window openings have 25-light fixed metal sashes and arched lintels of concrete and segmental arches composed of two rows of rowlock masonry. Vinyl gutters are found at the roofline that empty into metal downspouts in the middle and rear of the elevation.
The rear elevation has only two window openings located on the west side of the elevation, one on the basement and one providing light to the first floor. The rectangular basement has a window opening with a 20-light fixed metal sash, and a first floor square window opening with a 20-light metal fixed sash capped with a concrete lintel. A concrete stringcourse creates a sill for this window like the first story windows on the other elevations. A single pane glass metal door is
located in the center of this elevation on the first story. The door has a single pane transom that is topped with a concrete lintel. Concrete steps with iron handrails lead to the first floor door. A single pane glass door is located approximately two feet from the concrete steps at the basement level. The basement door does not have a transom and is topped with a concrete lintel. Directly beside the basement door is an exterior end brick chimney.
The interior of the Community Building retains its original floor plan, as very little has been done to alter it from its 1930s appearance. The floors of all three levels are concrete. The ceilings are composed of concrete on basement and first floor levels and of acoustical tile on the second floor. The interior doors are double paneled wood doors and are capped with single light transoms. The individual offices have been partitioned off with wood paneling. The first floor lobby is located at
the north end of the building. A large double staircase located in the lobby leads up to the second floor auditorium. A second flight of stairs from the lobby provides access to the basement. At the rear of the building, a third staircase leads to both the basement and the second floor. The steps of the staircases are concrete and the posts and rails are metal.
The basement contains two bathrooms, the boiler room, and ten small offices. A fallout shelter, which is now used as a janitor's closet, is located in one of the rooms of the basement floor. The boiler room, still contains its original coal equipment, although the building has been converted to gas heat.
Contained within the first floor are nine offices, and two bathrooms. A ladies rest room was located in a first floor room on the northwest side of the building that has now been partitioned off into two offices. Opposite the ladies rest room, the rooms that served as a doctor's office are connected with original walls. A door separating the waiting room, which is now an office, is accompanied by an arched interior window opening containing a pair of casement windows with eight-paned frosted
sashes.
The second floor has a small lobby on the north side of the building containing three door openings that provide access to the auditorium. The central door opening consists of a pair of double paneled wood doors, which are capped with an eight-light transom. Flanking the central door opening are two, wood paneled doors that are capped with six-light transoms. The auditorium retains its original open space and stage, which is located at the south end of the room. Two rows of hanging light fixtures with milk glass Art Deco styled light globes make up a major design feature of the room. The lower half of the walls surrounding the auditorium is concrete while the upper half is covered with a thick lincrusta type material stamped to appear like concrete block. A small anteroom located on the southeast part of the stage provides access to the stage area from the stairway. A small kitchen located on the southwest part of the stage also provides connection to the stage by a doorway."
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The building looks to be in good shape for its age. One has to wonder how much history has took place in this location. It boggles the mind and begs that you were a fly on the wall to see it all.