Established in 1923, the building served as the first site of Rapid City Central High School until it moved to a new facility on Mount Rushmore Road North.

In 1915, most residents had only been given a basic education; about 10% of the population had graduated high school, and only 158 people in the entirety of Pennington County held college degrees.

Due to the Great Depression, the central and western wings were not completed until May 1937 with the help of the Public Works Administration.

[10] The fire also damaged the neighboring Coolidge Building, and both it and Washington Elementary School were demolished in 1971.

[11] This left the 1923 Rapid City High School as the last remaining classroom building on the site.

The school's auditorium reopened to the public as the Performing Arts Center of Rapid City.

[5] Rapid City High School is a four-story, steel-framed, Beaux-Arts-style building on a concrete foundation.

The main entrance on Columbus Street projects out slightly from the rest of the building, with access provided by a set of concrete stairs.

The upper part of the auditorium and the ceiling include intricate molding that camouflage the steel support joists.