Jackson-Olin Ensley High School
Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham City Schools selected Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood, Inc. to provide professional design services for the new 270,000 square foot high school. The new school was constructed on a 27.6-acre site which includes the site of the existing Jackson-Olin High School, as well as adjacent property to the southwest. The building site is generally situated between 14th Street, Ensley, and Village Creek extending westward from Avenue F to the old Southern Railroad lines.

The new high school is designed to accommodate approximately 1,800 students. Included within the school is a total of 72 regular classrooms, (principally located in three classroom wings), an 11,000 square foot kitchen/cafeteria, a media center, a 750-seat theatre, and a 10,800 square foot competition gymnasium containing two regulation size basketball courts, with seating to accommodate 1,800 students. A smaller 5,700 square foot gymnasium is also proposed to help meet the needs of the school's numerous athletic programs.

Architecturally, the school is two-stories in height and is primarily constructed of brick and limestone with a combination of low slope and gabled roofs. A unique feature included within the building's design is the construction of two clock towers on the front side of the school.

Following the construction of the new high school, the existing Jackson-Olin High School was demolished to permit the construction of a new student parking lot. Additional site improvements include sidewalks, landscaping, fencing and lighting.