Maggie L. Walker Governor School

Maggie Walker Governor School (c. 1938)

Maggie Walker Governor School (April 2016)

Name of the site: Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School (formerly Maggie L. Walker High School)

Date of construction: 1938

Reason for construction: Built to serve as a vocational high school for the Richmond community’s African American youth.

Brief history of the site: Originally, there was only one high school in Richmond serving African Americans (Armstrong High School), but due to rapidly growing populations during the 1920s and 1930s, the Richmond Public School System built new facilities, including one designated for African Americans: Maggie L. Walker High School. The building of Maggie Walker specifically was due to a series of various events, including the merger of Hartshorn College with Virginia Union University in 1931. This made the land of Hartshorn College’s former campus available, which was then bought by Richmond Public Schools in 1937 in hopes to build a needed second high school for African Americans in Richmond as well as a memorial for Maggie L. Walker, who died three years prior in 1934. The building of Maggie Walker High School was partially funded by Roosevelt’s Administration of Public Works and was completed in 1938, although there was an expansion of the school in 1963.

Brief history of the surrounding area: Newtowne West neighborhood, originally called Sheep Hill, is the surrounding area of Maggie L. Walker Governor's School, located north of Broad Street between Lombardy Street and Hermitage Road. This site was originally under the settlement of Jewish and German immigrants in the early 1900s. In the early 19th century, Newtowne West was a middle to low class African American neighborhood that was originally for the working class who were in need for a place to stay. These neighborhoods were the precedent for the start of many successful industrial businesses that helped build Richmond as it is today. As time progressed onward to the 1920s, Newtowne West began to grow and become a better community, with some period of decline in between due to problems with the government concerning economic policies. Newtowne West is a surrounding area that is currently under rejuvenation, which also includes the renovating of the current Maggie Walker Governor's School.

What about the site has changed?

Built during the Jim Crow era, the school solely had African American students until the Civil Rights era, when the school was desegregated in 1964. This said, even after desegregation, the majority of the students were still African American. The school closed in 1979, and the building was unused until major renovations in the early 2000’s. Then, the building was reopened in 2001 to serve as the home of Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School, which is a school for gifted students for Richmond and its surrounding counties. In regards to architectural change, the expansion in 1963 added symmetric wings at the north and south ends of the building, as well as additions on either side of the auditorium. So it can be concluded that the school has definitely been preserved over the century.

What about the surrounding area has changed?

Comparing between the past Newtowne West with the current Newtowne West, the type of people living in there and the type of economic activity. The ethnicity of the people living there has become more diverse, including more than just African Americans. Also, in the past, the working class mainly focused on masonry and carpentry while today, the jobs go further than building buildings. Disputes with the government over economic policies has led to the neighborhood’s decline and also times of rich economic activities has led to subsequent revitalization.

Reflection

Despite going to this school for the last three years, we only had vague knowledge about the building itself. We knew about what the building was previously used for and the renovation, but not much else. From this project, we learned more in depth knowledge about the building, including the reasons for why it was built and the circumstances behind it. For example, we had no idea that the location of this school was once the campus of  Hartshorn College, or that the building of the school was funded by Roosevelt’s Administration of Public Works. We also did not know beforehand that the school had actually been expanded in 1963. In addition to the school itself, we have learned about the formation of the surrounding area and its history. Looking back on the surrounding area, we have been able to read about the start of a neighborhood and how much it has grown through economic activities since then. Overall, considering how we come to this school every day, we had little knowledge beforehand on the site and the surrounding area, so it was quite interesting to learn about.

Sources of information:

"Carver and Newtown West Walking Tour." Visit Richmond VA. Accessed March 15, 2016. http://www.visitrichmondva.com/includes/events/Carver-and-Newtown-West-Walking-Tour/9825/562/.

"Maggie L. Walker High School." National Park Service. Accessed February 18, 2016. http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/richmond/MaggieWalkerHighSchool.html.

"Neighborhoods in Bloom." Richmond City Government. Accessed March 15, 2016. http://www.richmondgov.com/Neighborhoods/carver.aspx.

Authors:

Kevin Li and Jonathan Lee