Port Allen High School - Port Allen, LA
N 30° 27.800 W 091° 12.383
15R E 672194 N 3371494
Now known as Port Allen Middle School. Located on Rosedale Rd. where N. Jefferson Rd. ends. Was easy to find and in fine condition.
Waymark Code: WM56QW
Location: Louisiana, United States
Date Posted: 11/19/2008
Views: 6
Here is another fine building I have passed and never gave it a notice. Awesome Moderne style. Looks like a State house of some kind! The grounds were well maintained, and everything looked very nice and well kept. I searched and could not find any history on the building, save the Register application. So here is a brief history taken from
here .
The Port Allen High School (1937) is a one-story Modernistic cast concrete structure with a
two-story central pavilion and third story frontal tower. The school stands well back from the nearest
road in the middle of a large, shaded educational complex on the northeast side of Port Allen. Its
only significant alterations are the addition of a porte-cochere and the covering of windows on the
building's western elevation.
The building's plan is basically symmetrical, with two one-story classroom wings projecting
from opposite sides of the central block. A one-story pavilion terminates each wing, and a
combination auditorium/gymnasium is joined to one end pavilion through a small lobby. Each
classroom wing is divided by a hallway, while the central block houses a lobby, school office,
restrooms, teacher's lounge, and twin staircases. The second floor of the central pavilion is one
large open space; the third floor tower is merely an enclosed shell.
The school is constructed of cast concrete painted to present a gleaming white facade.
Although the building is essentially horizontal, its stepped back central block culminates in a striking
octagonal tower which soars above the structure below and reflects the geometric emphasis of the
Modernistic style. Bold superimposed corner pilasters on both central block and tower, as well as a
reeded vertical rectangular tower panel, reinforce the verticality and geometry of the design. The
central block is further noteworthy for the fleur-de-lis, stylized pelicans, and stylized magnolia (all
symbols of Louisiana) which decorate its facade at the point where it thrusts upward to form the
tower. A teas relief rounder with book is centered between the pelicans and symbolizes the function
of the building. A fluted panel stands above the main entrance, whose paired doors, transom and
sidelights consist of rectangular panes held in place by brushed aluminum muntins. Other sections
of the facade also display decorative geometric elements. Corner pilasters are used to emphasize
the end pavilions and the gymnasium. Horizontal bands of cast concrete resembling streamlined
rustication top the classroom wings, and rectangular indentations featuring teas relief octagons and
chevrons are centered above the windows of each end pavilion. A bas relief figure of a basketball
player decorates the area above the gym's outside door. Casement windows arranged in groups of
five allow ample light into the spaces within each classroom wing. Similar windows in the central
pavilion are paired. The tower is windowless.