I love Art Deco, so during my recent trip to Memphis, I knew I would need to visit this school. Memphis architect Noland Van Powell designed the Fairview Junior High School for the Edward Lee Harrison architectural firm. Opening in the fall of 1930, it was built at the cost of $335,000. The Art Deco style was unusual for Memphis. The building stood out with the buff-colored bricks since most schools in town were built with red bricks. It got its name because it was next to the fairgrounds.

During the 1937 Mississippi River flood, the school served as a hospital. In 2012, it went through an $8 million renovation. Luckily, most of the Art Deco details were intact and kept during the renovation. It is now known as the Middle College High School.

It was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.