Florence High School (Arizona)

Florence High School
Location
1000 S Main St., Florence, AZ 85132 United States
Information
Type	Public High School
School district	Florence Unified School District
Principal	Thad Gates
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	833 students (October 1, 2010)
Color(s)	Red and white
Mascot	Gopher
Website	School site

Florence Union High School
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	1000 S. Main St., Florence, Arizona
Coordinates	33°1′21″N 111°23′16″W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1916
Architect	Lescher & Kibbey
Architectural style	Classical Revival
MPS	Florence MRA
NRHP reference No.	87001306
Added to NRHP	June 22, 1987

Florence High School is the high school for the town of Florence, Arizona.

History

Its current front building opened in 1916. It was designed by Lescher & Kibbey, Phoenix architects who "dominated the design of educational buildings in Arizona". The Neoclassical Revival structure incorporates elements of the Spanish Revival style popular in the region. A one-story design was chosen, as many students would have traveled several miles on foot or on horseback. The building's orientation helped to keep temperature in the rooms, cooling in the summer and heating in the winter. In addition, the area under the front arches once featured windows and doors that opened at the front and back of the auditorium, creating a cooling cross breeze.

The front building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 22, 1987 for its architecture, as well as for its significance as "a well-preserved example of institutional architecture in the early statehood period of Arizona history". The original central entry was filled in, leaving nothing behind the arches. This was the case at the time of the NRHP nomination of this building in the Florence MRA. Since then, a central entry with windows and doors has been restored.