Staunton’s Booker T. Washington High School opened in 1936 as the only high school for African Americans in the city until it closed in 1966, when Staunton integrated its public schools. Beyond strictly educational functions, the building served as a public space for the black community, which had few if any other such options during segregation. The community used the school for social events and adult education classes, its gymnasium and recreational facilities for athletic teams, and its library as a public facility. Situated on a sloping 2.3-acre parcel overlooking Staunton’s historic downtown and retaining much of its original construction material, the building also is notable as the only local school of its era designed in the then-popular Art Deco style and as one of the very few buildings in the region exhibiting that architectural style. Booker T. Washington High School was designed by Richmond architect Raymond V. Long.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia