Public schools

History

Here’s a link to a 1978 publication, “A History of Public School Education in Columbia,” by Roger A. Gafke.

Schools news coverage and list of schools on the Notable Properties List:

  • Sept. 7, 2017 — Teachers, alumni weigh in on Douglass High School renovations. Columbia Daily Tribune. Summary: Marking the $6.75 million renovations of Frederick Douglass High School. The school was opened in 1885. It was the all-black school until segregation ended by a U.S. Supreme Court 1954 ruling. It took 13 years to integrate schools. Barbra Horrell said she was in the school’s last official class.
  • June 17, 2016 — Renovations begin at Douglass High, Columbia Daily Tribune. Summary: The 100-year-old school at 310 N. Providence Road is undergoing $6.1 million in renovations. The work should be completed by August 2017.
  • April 2, 2014 — Historic properties celebrated at 15th annual Most Notable event, Columbia Daily Tribune. Summary: This article by Andrew Denney outlines a few facts for each of the five properties named to the Most Notable properties list by Columbia’s Historic Preservation Commission. The properties are: Fairview United Methodist Church at 1320 S. Fairview Road., Fairview Cemetery at Chapel Hill and Fairview Road, Francis Pike House at 1502 Anthony St., Bess and Dr. J.E. Thornton House at 905 S. Providence Road.
  • Feb. 3, 2014 —  Lee Elementary among sites honored as Notable Properties — Columbia Tribune. Five buildings named to the Notable Properties List by Columbia’s Historic Preservation Commission. Those buildings are Fairview United Methodist Church, 1320 S. Fairview Road, Fairview Cemetery, Lee School, 1208 Locust St., Francis Pike House, 1502 Anthony, Bessie and Dr. J.E. Thornton House, 905 S. Providence.
  • Jan. 31, 2014 — Lost history: Fairview Cemetery reflects buried history — Columbia Missourian. This article highlights the Fairview Cemetery, one of the five sites named to the 2014 Notable Properties List by the Columbia Historic Preservation Commission. The other sites include Fairview United Methodist Church, 1320 S. Fairview Road, Lee School, 1208 Locust St., Francis Pike House, 1502 Anthony, Bessie and Dr. J.E. Thornton House, 905 S. Providence.
  • June 18, 2003 — List honors historic sites in Columbia — An article that lists 10 most noteworthy buildings, including Municipal Power Plant, 1501 Business Loop, 70 E., Ann Hawkins Gentry Building, 1 S. Seventh St., Jefferson Junior High School, 713 Rogers St., Hamilton-Brown Shoe Factory, 1123 Wilkes Blvd., Guitar Building, 18 N. Eighth St., McKinney Building, 411 E. Broadway, Robert Wolken residence, 703 Westmount Ave., Switzler Hall on Francis Quadrangle, Calvary Episcopal Church, 123 S. Ninth St., Fifth Street Christian Church, 401 N. Fifth St.

List of schools on the Columbia Notable Properties List

  • Lee Elementary School, 1208 Locust St. The 1934 school was built using federal New Deal funds. Such projects were funded in an effort during the Great Depression to put the unemployed to work building public projects, according to a Columbia Daily Tribune article published Feb. 3, 2014. The school was named to the Notable Properties List in 2014 according to this Columbia Missourian article dated Jan. 31, 2014 and headlined, ” Lost history: Fairview Cemetery reflects buried history “
  • Ulysses S. Grant Elementary School, 10 E. Broadway, 1911.
  • Frederick Douglass School, 310 N. Providence Road, 1917. The school was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on Sept. 4, 1980. In 2011, it was named to Columbia’s Most Notable Properties List, according to this Feb. 15, 2011, Columbia Missourian article. In 2016, the school was slated for $6.10 million in renovations according to this June 17, 2016, Columbia Daily Tribune article headlined, “Renovations begin at Douglass High.” The work was to be completed by August 2017.
  • Jefferson Junior High School, 713 Rogers, 1910. It was the high school prior to the construction of Hickman High School. It was named to the Columbia Notable Properties list in 2003, according to this June 18, 2003 article, headlined List honors historic sites in Columbia.
  • Field Elementary School, 1010 N. Rangeline. Named to the list in 2007, it closed its doors as a public elementary school on Dec. 18, 2009. The school was named for Missouri native Eugene Field, an author known for the children’s poem “Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.”
  • Thomas Hart Benton Elementary School, 1410 Hinkson Avenue, 1927. It was named to the Notable Properties List in 2004.

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