The Moore Street School is located at 1113 Moore Street in Richmond, Virginia. The building was constructed in 1887 and was the first of three very similar structures designed by Colonel Wilfred Emory Cutshaw, Richmond's City Engineer from 1874 – 1905'. The school was originally built as an African American Elementary School' and most recently has been used by George Washington Carver Elementary School.

The building is currently part of the Richmond Public Schools inventory of buildings, it is currently unoccupied and unused. Richmond Public Schools currently maintains the building. The building is physically connected with Carver Elementary School by openings located in the southeast corner of the School's original perimeter walls. On the first and second levels, these openings have been closed off with wood frame construction.

Carver Elementary School and Moore Street School are currently recorded as one property consisting of (4) separate property addresses. The buildings share utility services including electricity, water and gas. The Moore Street School Foundation recommends that a new property line be established that allows for the separation of Moore Street School from Carver Elementary.

Timely action is paramount in that the building is decaying quickly, and the further the decay the more the cost to renovate thereby reducing its appeal even more. For these reasons, it is recommended that the City sell the Moore Street School Building and property to The Moore Street School Foundation.

The Moore Street façade and Harrison Street elevations are primary, however, the DHR and NPS reviewers will closely review any proposed changes to the building's exterior. Changes to masonry openings should be minimized. The proposed new west entry is likely to be approved with the current strategy of separating the new porch, ramp and stairs from the historic masonry wall.

HISTORIC WINDOW REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT is an extremely sensitive issue. Preservation of existing windows is the preferred option, since a number of windows appear to be original. Replacement windows would have to be selected based on the replacements closely matching the original windows (a 4-over-4 light configuration). It should be acceptable to block in 5 windows at the southeast corner of the building for fire code reasons. This comer of the building is all but hidden from public view.

MASONRY CLEANING AND REPOINTING must be specified in accordance with NPS guidelines. Masonry repairs must be executed by a contractor/sub contractor with demonstrated experience in historic masonry work. Brick can be painted or unpainted, as long as the paint removal process is non-destructive (no sand-blasting).

Maintaining the character of the building includes retaining historic classrooms, hallways and stairs on all three levels. New partitions can be added, as proposed, particularly where spaces were already altered, since many original classrooms are proposed to be maintained intact. In order to install HVAC and other systems, the proposed strategy of dropping a ceiling in the middle of typical classrooms will likely be approved, although a more typical strategy would be building a "bulkhead" along the corridor side of each classroom to hide mechanical systems.

SIGNIFICANT MATERIALS AND FEATURES INCLUDE: Original plaster walls, wood trim, paneled doors, and pressed tin ceilings should be preserved where possible. Where plaster is damaged beyond repair, laminating drywall to the plaster, or replacing plaster with drywall is acceptable. The proposed dropped ceiling may only be permissible because a wide band (approx. 3') of historic metal ceiling and cornice will be visible at the perimeter of the dropped area.

The beaded wainscot, the principal interior stairways (with upgraded handrails), the multi-light transoms, the blackboard and bulletin board framing and trim, and wood floors are all significant interior features and materials.

If possible ceilings in the public areas should be maintained at their original height with metal ceilings. Where ceiling heights are lowered in individual areas or enclosed spaces the detailing of ceilings as they approach windows at perimeter walls is critical; dropping ceilings below the heads of windows must be avoided. New ceilings should not interrupt window openings.

The addition of mechanical, electrical, and data systems to a historic building can be problematic; in this building the new systems should be concealed in chases rather than exposed within the classrooms or hallways
The goal is to minimize the impact of these systems on the appearance and character of the 1st and 2nd floors of the building. It is typically preferable to place ducts in the basement and attic and to set mechanical units back from the edge of the roof of the building, rather than on the ground at the building perimeter. Minimizing destruction of masonry walls for systems installation is necessary.

The original Moore Street School is constructed from a combination of wood framing and load-bearing brick masonry walls. The roof and floors are primarily wood framed while the interior and exterior walls are constructed from load-bearing brick masonry. The foundation system is unknown but is presumed to be shallow concrete or masonry spread footings, common for this type of construction in the late nineteenth century.

The roof is a low-slope, hipped structure. It is constructed from "A" wood decking that is supported by wood rafters spaced at approximately 22-0” centers. The wood rafters are rough-sawn hardwood and range in size from 2" to 2 " wide and 8/4" to 9 " deep. The rafters are supported by wood trusses built from rough-sawn 4"x6" hardwood timbers. The trusses appear to be located directly over brick masonry walls. The hips are formed by double 2"x8" rafters which frame into the trusses.

The second and third floor classroom areas are constructed from "4" hardwood flooring over /"x4" decking. The flooring and decking are supported by 2”x14" rough-sawn hardwood joists spaced at approximately 16" centers. The joists typically span approximately 26'-6" and bear in pockets in the brick masonry walls. There is a layer of sand-aggregate, lightweight mortar between the floor and the ceiling below. The mortar is supported on /2"x4" decking located approximately 11" from the bottom of the joists. The typical floor construction is illustrated in Sketch 3.

The floors in the classroom areas have been reinforced with metal rods and wood beams. The beams are 4" wide by 6" deep and occur at approximate 1/3 points along the original span. The metal rods are approximately % in diameter and are typically spaced at 5'-4" centers. The ends of each rod are anchored to the corresponding wood joist using a metal shoe and two bolts. Each rod has a turnbuckle at mid-length.The reinforcing does not appear to be original to the structure. It was likely installed to balance a portion of the floor dead load and compensate for the long term deflections associated with wood framing.