Winchester PS: John Handley HS

Construction on John Handley High School, located in Winchester, VA, started in 1922 and continues to the present day. An endowed public high school founded by a grant from Judge John Handley, Handley High School is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Winchester Public Schools renewed its commitment to the city’s only high school by accommodating new enrollment growth with a multi-phased addition and renovation project — all executed while the school was occupied. The design approach preserved all of the building’s remaining historic elements, carefully restoring them with the aid of tax credits.

A new Center for Science and Technology was carefully woven into the building’s historic grain. The original gymnasium became a library and media center. Students received a student union/café, providing them with dining options. Besides the five-year, multi-million dollar historic rehabilitation and 40,000 SF addition, Shockey also completed accompanying site work.

In 2017, Architectural Digest named Handley the most beautiful public high school in Virginia.