The Caroline Brevard School is a prime example of Mediterranean Revival style. This style was popular in the Southwest United States and Florida between 1915 and 1940, although it is much more common in South Florida and along the state’s coasts than in North Florida. One key feature identifying the style of the building is its cross-gabled roof with red terra cotta tile and no eave overhang. The red terra cotta tile is also present on the hooded doorways on the sides and back of the building, the floor of the main entryway, as well as in the building’s stairwells inside.
The building is symmetrical with two three-story wings connected by a central pavilion, except that the right wing is in an L-shape with the small part of the L not visible from the front of the building. A small addition was added to the right wing in 1962. The building itself is red brick in a common running pattern with flush mortar joints. While the ground floor has lobbies on the north, west, and south ends that limit the number of rooms, all three floors have almost identical plans with a long central hallway and rooms on each side.
The building’s central pavilion is the most ornate part of the building. One cylindrical column and half of a rectangular column support a horseshoe arch portico that frames the front doors. Carved owls represent wisdom on the capitals of these columns. Above the door is a cartouche with the key of knowledge. Above the portico are five arched windows divided by single and paired columns. Sculpted pelicans rest on the paired columns. A circular scrolled medallion is centered above the windows. The pavilion’s roof cross-gabled roof is turned 90 degrees from the rest of the building and topped with a ball on black finial.
The north end, on Madison Street, has a similarly decorated facade and portico to emphasize another entrance and salute a third celebrated indigenous bird. Two arched windows separated by a column are topped by a sculpted eagle. Symmetrically placed circular medallions are located on either side of the eagle and windows. The east and south sides of the building have simple hooded, tiled doorways. The south end also contains a circular cartouche between the upper two windows with the intertwined initials CBS, standing for Caroline Brevard School.
The building is symmetrical with two three-story wings connected by a central pavilion, except that the right wing is in an L-shape with the small part of the L not visible from the front of the building. A small addition was added to the right wing in 1962. The building itself is red brick in a common running pattern with flush mortar joints. While the ground floor has lobbies on the north, west, and south ends that limit the number of rooms, all three floors have almost identical plans with a long central hallway and rooms on each side.
The building’s central pavilion is the most ornate part of the building. One cylindrical column and half of a rectangular column support a horseshoe arch portico that frames the front doors. Carved owls represent wisdom on the capitals of these columns. Above the door is a cartouche with the key of knowledge. Above the portico are five arched windows divided by single and paired columns. Sculpted pelicans rest on the paired columns. A circular scrolled medallion is centered above the windows. The pavilion’s roof cross-gabled roof is turned 90 degrees from the rest of the building and topped with a ball on black finial.
The north end, on Madison Street, has a similarly decorated facade and portico to emphasize another entrance and salute a third celebrated indigenous bird. Two arched windows separated by a column are topped by a sculpted eagle. Symmetrically placed circular medallions are located on either side of the eagle and windows. The east and south sides of the building have simple hooded, tiled doorways. The south end also contains a circular cartouche between the upper two windows with the intertwined initials CBS, standing for Caroline Brevard School.
