Rappahannock NonProfit Center
Rappahannock County, Virginia
Support to NonProfits
The Link Community Center
The Schoolhouse
A Tour of the Old Schoolhouse
Ninety-nine years old in 2008. But who's counting?
The Sperryville Schoolhouse was built in 1909 to accommodate all of the white school-age children in the Sperryville area. When integration was enacted, the Schoolhouse became the elementary school for all of the area children. Rappahannock County opened its county-wide elementary school in 1968, at which time the school was closed and the building sold. It was purchased by the descendants of the original owner of the land - Cliff and Lucile Miller of Mount Vernon Farm. For several years it served as a retail establishment, first as That Sperryville Emporium, then Faith Mountain, then Sunnyside. And now, on the eve of her hundredth birthday, the old Schoolhouse is becoming the community center for Rappahannock County.
The large red, classic building is now headquarters for The Link, a new Community Center for Rappahannock County. As such, it houses offices for community-based not-for-profit organizations, and also offers an amazing venue for public and private meetings, classes, conferences, workshops and celebrations. This can include weddings, festivals, and theatrical and music performances, for audiences large and small. (See rental fee information here.
Built on scenic green fields in historic Rappahannock County, along the banks of the Thornton River in Sperryville, VA, the old schoolhouse provides a spacious auditorium with a large proscenium stage, adjacent restaurant and deck area, and other sizeable meeting rooms for rent to community organizations, local citizens and groups, and businesses. Its amenities include:
- a massive, theater-style auditorium
- a kitchen with commercial-grade stove, sinks and refrigeration for food preparation/service
- an impressive entrance foyer for guest registration/displays
- two additional large rooms available when desired, off the center hallway for added reception and/or meeting space
- Wi-Fi internet hook-up capabilities
- Handicapped entrance areas
- Up-to-date restrooms
- Ample parking for guests and service vehicles.
The Main Entrance/Foyer of the Schoolhouse can be used for receiving guests and/or for display purposes. (480 sq feet) The Auditorium (to the left) is approximately 2,800 square feet in size (not including the raised stage which measures 19 by 25 feet). It can accommodate:
- up to 500 guests for informal receptions
- 350 with concert-style seating.
- and 175 guests seated-at-table for luncheons or dinners.
Restaurant and Deck areas are informal and open into the Auditorium. The restaurant offers an additional 800 square feet of additional dining or service space. The spacious uncovered deck offers 1,400 square feet and is directly adjacent to the kitchen and informal dining area.
The Kitchen provides ample workspace of 400 sq feet. It offers basic equipment to support event catering, including a large Vulcan stove, walk-in commercial refrigerator, triple sinks for basic wash-up, and doors which open directly outside to facilitate service delivery.
Additional Meeting/Event space off the Central Hallway (to right of the Foyer) includes a reception and studio room. Each offers roughly 500 feet square of added meeting/event space in former classrooms. One is equipped with blackboards and a commercial sink, and the two spaces can open one into the other.
Parking and potential festival/outdoor activity space accommodates up to 48 vehicles and 2 handicapped spaces on hard-top service with added space for parking and/or for hosting outdoor events on the school house lawns.