Olive Street School was an elementary school called Olive Street Elementary School which operated from 1913 to 1947 by Austin Public Schools (now Austin ISD). Black students attended this school. Olive Street School served this East Austin African American neighborhood for nearly 4 decades. The school itself was designated by Austin ISD as a “negro school”. (Ref: Austin Public Schools 1954, Volume II:7)
L.C. Anderson High School was the school that occupied the building before Olive Street School did for 6 years from 1907 to 1913.
L.C. Anderson High School moved to 1607 Pennsylvania Avenue in 1913 and the building was repurposed as Olive Street School for black elementary school students. 1913 is the year when Olive Street School opened as a school for black elementary school students.
In 1933, Austin school superintendent A.N. McCallum announced the district's grand plans to build a new campus on East 11th, but not to abandon the Olive Street school, which he pronounced "in good shape." The neighbors disagreed, wanting the "obviously worthless" campus torn down and a modern school built to replace it. (Ref: Austin Chronicle, Proud Roots, Friday, June 28, 2002)
Austin ISD shut down and had closed Olive Street School due to poor building conditions in 1947. The floors were somehow unsafe yet the wall structures were fine.
Olive Street School burned down in a fire in the year of 1947. It was a total loss for the school district. The school burned down due to red-hot coal in the old potbelly stoves. Heating for Olive Street School was still provided by old potbelly stoves and not central A/C heating as the white schools were. This proved to be a fire hazard as the school burned on several occasions in the past. The fire led to the school building being demolished in 1948.
On July 3, 1952, Dr. E. H. Givens came before the Austin City Council asked that the Olive Street School land be developed for a park. Councilman Long moved that the Olive Street playground be cleared real soon and developed for the children in that area. The motion was seconded by Councilman White.
The school site is now a neighborhood park known as Lott Park. The school property is now vacant. No structures remain today.
Olive Street School was located the junction of Olive Street & Curve Street, Austin, Texas, US 78702.
Thank you for this information that makes clearer the history of Anderson High School.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome. I was glad to have helped.
DeleteThanks for the info. If the schol opened in 1913 and, before that, it was the site of Anderson HS, then initially APS was not involved. Were both schools Rosenwald-financed and inspired by Booker T. Washington. Essentially, were they "freedom schools" -- established in the first hundred years after Emancipation with African-American communities supporting them financially (albeit with often meager resources), "chicken dinners" for teachers, construction, painting and repairs, and the like? I think Sam Houston college was also in the area. What's the connection with the school name and Oliver Street -- and where did the Street Family live (perhaps, nearby on San Bernard where there are fine historic homes today and now Wesley Chapel)? Finally, I was told that Anderson High School was initially named for a brother of L.C. Anderson, who was also an educator and, if I recall, was head of Prairie View A&M College at one point More information would certainly be helpful. The Carver Library and Museum would be a great source of information. Frankly, I would love to help.
DeleteThanks for taking the time to share this information.
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