Pine Street Elementary School was recently placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Spartanburg District 7 school opened its doors to students for the first time in 1929. Now, its 87 years of educating students is being recognized at a national level. “They don’t build buildings like this anymore,” said Principal Anne Jeter. “There’s a lot of tradition in this building.”
Pine Street Elementary joins other notable Spartanburg County locations on the register such as Drayton Mill, Foster’s Tavern, the Montgomery Building and the Daniel Morgan Monument. The National Register of Historic Places lists properties with a significant importance to the nation’s past, and is maintained in Washington, D.C., by the National Park Service. Citizens can propose properties to be added through statewide historic preservation offices. In South Carolina, more than 1,500 places are included in the register.
“I think a lot of thought went into it when they built it,” said District 7 Maintenance Director Terry Gilmer. “They built it to last.” Pine Street Elementary was nominated for inclusion over the summer, Jeter said. She said in late October, the school was given final approval to be added. Some kind of sign or plaque from the National Register of Historic Places will be installed at the school, and Jeter said a celebration is planned after students return from winter break.