Opened in 1955, Park View High School sits on fourteen acres along U.S. Route 1, approximately one mile west of the town of South Hill in rural Mecklenburg County. The original campus, including the sprawling International Style main building and an agricultural shop building, was designed by Richmond architect Samuel N. Mayo; a classroom addition and vocational building, both designed by Petersburg architect Gordon B. Galusha, were completed in 1978. Originally built for White students as part of countywide consolidation and equalization efforts during the Jim Crow era, Park View is representative of organized efforts against school desegregation in Virginia during the 1950s and 1960s, with the integration of the local school system not occurring until 1969. Park View High School is also directly associated with the expansion and professionalization of vocational education in Mecklenburg County, particularly during the 1970s. The purpose-built vocational building was designed to provide classroom space for courses in electronics, computer science, and other emerging technology-based fields, allowing high school students to continue to pursue in-demand career training without having to move elsewhere to seek such opportunities.