Western High School
National Register of Historic Places

Western High School

Washington, District of Columbia County, District of Columbia
Listed
July 24, 2003
Type
Building
Period
Modern
Ref No.
03000673

About this property

The Duke Ellington School of the Arts (established 1974) is a high school located at 35th Street and R Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., and dedicated to arts education. One of the high schools of the District of Columbia Public School system, it is named for the American jazz bandleader and composer Duke Ellington, a native of Washington, D.C. The building formerly housed Western High School. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Graduates of the school are prepared to pursue an artistic and theatric occupation. In addition to completing the traditional public school college prep curriculum, students must audition for and complete studies in one of the following artistic areas: cinematic arts and media production, dance, museum studies, instrumental music, vocal music, theater, technical design and production, and visual arts. The school developed from the collaborative efforts of Peggy Cooper Cafritz, a long-time member of the D.C. School Board and Mike Malone, a veteran of Broadway, off-Broadway, contemporary dancer, director, and master choreographer, who were co-founders of Workshops for Careers in the Arts in 1968. In 1974 this workshop program developed into the Duke Ellington School of the Arts at Western High School, an accredited four-year public high school program combining arts and academics. It is currently operated as a joint partnership between D.C. Public Schools, the Kennedy Center, and George Washington University.

Location

35th and R Sts., NW
Washington, District of Columbia County, District of Columbia
38.91309, -77.07019

Categories

ARCHITECTUREEDUCATIONTRANSPORTATION
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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Questions about this property

When was Western High School listed on the National Register?

Western High School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 24, 2003.

What type of historic resource is Western High School?

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

What is the period of significance for Western High School?

The period of significance for Western High School is recorded as the modern era, specifically around 1974.

Can I research the history near Western High School?

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