National Register of Historic Places

Sequoia Union High School

Redwood City, San Mateo County, California
Listed
April 6, 1995
Type
District
Period
Civil War
Ref No.
95000389

About this property

Sequoia High School (established in 1895) is a public high school in downtown Redwood City, California, United States. Today, it is one of the few schools to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme within the San Francisco Bay Area. Sequoia High School is part of the Sequoia Union High School District. Most students attend middle school at Clifford School, Kennedy Middle School, McKinley Institute of Technology, or North Star Academy in Redwood City, or Central Middle School in San Carlos. The school maintains a vast array of clubs, extracurricular activities, and sports teams, in addition to a student newspaper, Yearbook team, and student government program. The school grounds, located on 35 acres, include a Japanese Tea Garden which was built in 1929 by students, the performing arts venue Carrington Hall, and a number of historical trees, including the Giant Sequoia, Monkey-puzzle tree, Australian Tea tree, Ginkgo biloba trees, Cork Oak tree and many others. Classrooms are spread out among five main wings, including the newest "M" (music) wing, completed in 2018. Established in 1895, Sequoia is the oldest high school in San Mateo County, and was founded as a preparatory school for Stanford University. When the school was founded, it was the only high school on the Peninsula between San Francisco and Santa Clara. Initially when opening, the school occupied the third floor of the Redwood City Grammar School, with the two lower floors of the building for elementary and middle school students. The present-day campus is located on the grounds of the former estate of Horace Hawes, author of the legislative bill that created San Mateo County. The present day campus, purchased for $80,000, was constructed in the 1920s and opened in 1924, in a Spanish Colonial Revival architecture style. The original campus buildings were designed by architects Coffey and Werner. The Argo Bell Tower campanile was built in 1923, and named after the former principal (from 1921 to 1948) Clarence Argo. Carrington Hall , the school auditorium, was named after a former music and art teacher at the school, Otis M. Carrington. Remnants of the site's earlier owners, from over 115 years ago, are still visible on campus today, including an original set of concrete benches and walls on the eastern expanse of the school, built prior to 1905. The gazebo in the Japanese Tea Garden has been recently renovated, but remains in an identical location to a similar structure placed in the "rock garden" (today, the Tea Garden) in 1905. The school was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district in 1995, under its former name Sequoia Union High School. The campus is home to 128 classrooms, three gyms, a dance studio, a pool, a combined library–media center, and a woodshop.

Location

1201 Brewster Ave.
Redwood City, San Mateo County, California
37.48451, -122.23613

Categories

EDUCATIONARCHITECTUREPERFORMING ARTS
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Redwood City Woman’s Club
Industrial
0.2 mi
New Sequoia Theater Building
Industrial
0.4 mi
San Mateo County Courthouse
Industrial
0.4 mi
Lathrop House
Industrial
0.4 mi
Offerman, John, House
Industrial
0.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Sequoia Union High School listed on the National Register?

Sequoia Union High School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 6, 1995.

What type of historic resource is Sequoia Union High School?

Sequoia Union High School is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Sequoia Union High School?

The period of significance for Sequoia Union High School is recorded as the civil_war era.

Can I research the history near Sequoia Union High School?

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