National Register of Historic Places

Dunbar School

Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona
Listed
August 11, 1993
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
93000740

About this property

Dunbar Elementary School (also known as Dunbar School) is an elementary school in Phoenix, Arizona that was once segregated. Dunbar School was one of the first elementary schools built by Phoenix Elementary School District specifically for African-American students. It is named after poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. While officials with the Dunbar School have labeled the school as a "historically Black school" during the era of segregation, contemporary sources have described the school as a segregated school during the era. At the time, segregation was optional for high schools in Arizona, but mandatory for elementary schools. The school, along with Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington, were the three segregated elementary schools in Phoenix. By 1925, the school outgrew its two classrooms, and parents of those who attended the school demanded a new school, resulting in the construction of a one-story brick building. The school's construction was funded with monies from a $650,000 bond issue that passed in 1924. Now, the school, like all schools in the United States following the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling, is operated as an integrated institution. The school was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1993, and was added to the City of Phoenix's Historic Property Register in 2005. In the 2014–2015 school year, the school had a student population of 304, with an overwhelming majority of the students either classified as "Hispanics" or African Americans.

Location

707 W. Grant
Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona
33.44212, -112.08514

Categories

EDUCATION
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Storage Warehouse
Industrial
0.4 mi
Union Station
Civil War
0.4 mi
Phoenix Carnegie Library And Library Park
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0.4 mi
Pioneer Military and Memorial Park
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0.4 mi
Chambers Transfer & Storage Co.
Industrial
0.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Dunbar School listed on the National Register?

Dunbar School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 11, 1993.

What type of historic resource is Dunbar School?

Dunbar School is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Dunbar School?

The period of significance for Dunbar School is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Dunbar School?

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