User:Vchimpanzee/Reynolds High School (Canton, North Carolina)

Reynolds High School in the Gibsontown community of Canton, North Carolina was the only high school for African-Americans west of Asheville in North Carolina. Built in 1930, the 20,000-square-foot building was used until segregation ended in 1966. Gladys Knight's husband William McDowell, who grew up in Canton and had long desired to own the building, bought the 6.5-acre property at auction for $80,000 in 2014, with plans for a $2.5 million renovation for a community center. On February 28, 2017, Knight and McDowell announced plans for the Reynolds Community Center and a plan to raise as much as $5 million through the Reynolds High School Community Foundation to renovate the building by 2019.