History
The Allen School: 1887-1974
The roots of College Place began in 1887 as Allen High School, an all-girls boarding school for African Americans. The school gave these girls the opportunity to attend college and receive training in the industrial field.
The first building (pictured above) was built with money donated by Mrs. Marriage Allen, for whom the school was named. A second wood-frame building, a chapel, was later added,along with another classroom building in 1925. All of the frame buildings were demolished in the 1950s to make way for new brick buildings. These included a residence hall (pictured to the left), a school building that included an auditorium, a teachers’ residence, a dining hall, and a gymnasium. All were completed from 1952-1956.
In 1974, the Allen school closed its doors due to a decline in attendance caused by desegregation. After the campus closed, it became known as the Allen Center and continued to serve the community by hosting various classes and club events.
Asheville Office Park: 1985-2017
In 1985, the campus was sold to a local real estate company and repurposed into an office space called Asheville Office Park.
In 1999, Lewis Real Estate obtained Asheville Office Park, and routinely made updates to preserve the campus and continue its use as an office space.
A New Vision: 2018 & Beyond
In 2018, Lewis Real Estate updated and rebranded Asheville Office Park as College Place, an office space dedicated and designed to the needs of its tenants. Inside, total renovations were done to create modern office spaces for a variety of needs in the private, professional, and governmental sectors of business. Specific spaces were personalized to the needs of the tenant.
College Place
Minimal work was done to the exterior architecture of the buildings to retain the historical value of the campus, and to serve as a reminder of the value of hard work. Modern day necessities were added to enhance the accommodations of the space.
College Place is now home to many local agencies such as Explore Asheville and the Asheville Symphony (both located in the building pictured), Girl Scouts of America, NC Department of Commerce, and the Literacy Council of Buncombe County.
Lewis Real Estate continues to fulfill its mission of enhancing the value of the Asheville community through helping its clients find office locations to grow and prosper.