There was one a “Colorado School” on Vargas Road in Austin, Texas. Colorado School was also known as Colorado Elementary School. This news article will explain the history on that particular school.
The “Colorado School” (Colorado White School/Colorado Elementary School) that belonged to Colorado Common School District (now Del Valle ISD) was hauled from Old Del Valle Road to Vargas Road in 1953. This “Colorado School” was a brick building built on a single story frame plan with 10 frame rooms (10 rooms). It was in 1953 when Colorado School aka Colorado Elementary School was annexed into Austin ISD and made an Austin ISD school.
Colorado School was referred to as a “primary unit” which served as an elementary school for students in grades 1 through 3. Colorado School held an open house at 6:30 PM on Monday, March 2, 1953 as advertised and reported by the Austin American newspaper. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/386604533/)
“Colorado School will hold open house at its primary unit on Vargas Road near Estrada Street on Monday, March 2, at 6:30 p. m. The PTA will sponsor a community meeting in the school beginning at 7:30 p. m.”
The first 3 grades of the Colorado White School (Colorado School) were moved to the site on Vargas Road in 1954 where Allison Elementary School and Citivan Park are located today. This was because the Colorado School was located dangerously close to Bergstrom Air Force Base. The dangers of being closely located near the Bergstrom Air Force Base runway made an unsafe learning environment. All 6 frame buildings were moved to Vargas Road that year. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/359833968/)
As cited from an Austin American-Statesman news article written by Bill Brammer from 1954, the “first three grades of the school were moved to another site about two miles away on Vargas Road.”
The job of moving a school is a big one, but the Austin School Board gave fast, almost immediate, action on a request from Bergstrom Air Force Base that Colorado Elementary School be moved from its current location. A second prodding by Bergstrom Air Force Base officials has brought fast, almost immediate, action by the Austin Public Schools concerning the "extremely dangerous" location of Colorado Elementary School. School Superintendent Irby Carruth revealed Friday that Colorado School once located near the northwest corner of Bergstrom in the direct path of landing aircrafts.
The ancient brick structure will remain at the old location: the intersection of the Lockhart and Bastrop Highways. But three frame buildings have been transported to the new site. Three other frame buildings were moved to the Vargas and Estrada location in 1953. These housed the primary grades of the school. The three frame structures moved in the last few weeks will comprise the school's facilities for the present. An estimated 300 students will attend the "new" school until work can be started on a modern Colorado School plant. Construction on this proposed 16-classroom building, said Carruth, is scheduled to get under way within three months. "We took one look at the jets coming in for landings at the base and knew the school must be moved," said Carruth. "We had to get the children out of the flight path." The six frame buildings will provide a dozen makeshift classrooms until a new structure can be erected.
Colonel V. E. Murphy, base commander at Bergstrom, warned on July 14 of the danger. "I cannot emphasize too strongly the urgency the Air Force feels should be exercised to eliminate all public meeting places in the air field peripherial area," he said. It was the second time such a warning the city school system had received. The first was in a letter sent the board in December by Colonel Ben Lichty, former base commander. The first three grades of the school were moved to the Vargas Road site about a year and a half ago. But the School Board decided up until three weeks ago that the remaining three grades probably would have to stay in the danger zone at least another year, until the school system had sufficient funds to build the additional facilities. Carruth solved that problem with the fast move of the old frame buildings. Colorado School is an inherited problem for the school system. It wasn't even part of the Austin schools when the last school bond issue was approved. Up until that time it had been operated by the county. Besides the dangerous location of the brick building, it was outmoded, failing to provide even modern sanitary facilities. Additionally, it was far removed from the actual neighborhood of the students. Carruth said he has no idea what the board will decide to do with the old brick building. For the present it will remain unoccupied, he said.
(Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/359833968/)
(Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/359834031/)
Bergstrom Air Force Base gave notice to both Colorado Common School District and Austin ISD in the summer of 1954 about Colorado Elementary School being in an extremely dangerous location.
Bergstrom Air Force Base has served notice for the second time that it considers the location of Colorado Elementary School extremely dangerous. In a letter to the City School Board, Colonel V. E. Murphy, base commander, declares: "I cannot emphasize too strongly the urgency the Air Force feels should be exercised to eliminate all public meeting places in the air field peripheral area and especially in the approach zone to the runways. In the past two years, two accidents have occurred at this base in which airplanes 'cracked up' in the approach zone and landed short of the runway in question. Had these planes turned right instead of left, they undoubtedly would have landed in or very near the Colorado School grounds or buildings, with the consequent holocaust you and I can imagine."
It was the second such warning the city school system has received. The first was in a letter sent to the board in December by the former commander of the base, Colonel Ben Lichty. The first three grades of the school were moved to another site some distance away, on Vargas Road, about a year and a half ago. But the remaining three grades probably will have to stay in the danger zone at least another year, until the school system has sufficient funds to build additional facilities at the Vargas location. Approximately 170 children in grades four, five and six will attend classes in the old school during the coming year. Construction of eight rooms to house the three grades at the new site is on the "urgent" list of buildings needs compiled by the school board this spring.
The building will get under way after the sale, early this fall, of the last $3 million in school construction bonds voted in 1950. Superintendent Irby Carruth recommended Monday night that an architect be employed immediately to draw up plans for the new Colorado School. Col. Murphy asked the board for information "as to your plans for the future location of the remaining three grades of this school and an estimate of the earliest date at which it is contemplated they will be moved to a new location."
Carruth's reply: the earliest estimated date would be late spring, or possibly in September, of 1955. Colorado School is an inherited problem for the city school system. It wasn't even part of the Austin schools when the last school bond issue was approved, coming in later that year with the annexation of new territory by the city. Up until that time, the ancient school had been operated by the county. The county continued to maintain it through the spring term of 1951, but the city took over that summer, and realized immediately that plans would have to be made for doing away with the old plant as soon as possible. The trouble, however, was that no funds had been set aside for the project in the $10 million worth of bonds voted before Colorado came under city control. The budget allocation for construction of new rooms at the Vargas site, about two miles from the present location, have been scraped together by cutting down on building plans here and there in other school districts.
The first, of course, is its danger. Located near the northwest corner of Bergstrom, it is in the direct path of planes both as they take off and as they land. Plant Outmoded Additionally, the plant is outmoded. The original school was a five-room brick structure. To this had been added six frame buildings three of which were removed to the Vargas Road location during the Christmas holidays in 1952, to "house the first three grades. What is left is an odd assortment of buildings, including outside sanitary facilities. City school officials soon discovered, too, that the old location actually was far removed from where most of the pupils live. Only a few of the pupils live near the old school. That was one of the reasons for moving the primary grades to the new location. Altogether, Colorado School had an enrollment of approximately 370 students during the semester just concluded. About half of them were in the safe location on Vargas Road, but the other half still were precariously attending classes in the BAFB approach zone. Unless some immediate solution is found, they probably will be there again this fall.
(Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/384872896/)
(Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/384873083/)
Three other frame buildings were transported from Old Del Valle Road to Vargas Road on Saturday, August 7, 1954. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/384906384/)
An appeal by Bergstrom Air Force Base officials that the Colorado Elementary School near the west flight line of the base is in an “extremely dangerous” location is bringing fast action by the Austin School Board. The action: they're moving the school. Superintendent Irby Carruth announced Friday that the school is being moved from the intersection of the Lockhart and Bastrop Highways to a safer, more accessible location at Vargas Road and Estrada Street about two miles west. The school building proper, an ancient brick structure, will remain. But three frame classroom units have been transported to the new site. They will be ready for occupancy Sept. 1. Joined with three other frame units moved from the old location during Christmas 1952, they will accommodate more than 300 students. Ac the same time, work will be begun on a modern, brick building to be erected at Vargas and Estrada. Officials at Bergstrom warned three weeks ago that there was danger of crackups in the peripheral area and urged that all public meeting places be removed from the zone.
The Austin American described Colorado School being “housed in a number of ancient frame buildings” at the end of 1954. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/384975171/)
“Boys and girls at Colorado Elementary School housed in a number of ancient frame buildings on Vargas Road wouldn't let a little thing like too many pupils and too little space spoil their Christmas plans. There isn't much room in any of the classes.”
An Austin American news article had reported Colorado School had 10 frame classrooms that in use at Colorado School at what was then 514 Vargas Road in spring of 1955. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/359861642/)
“At present, 10 frame classrooms are in use at Colorado School, 514 Vargas Road. C. Ben Hibbets was low bidder on the general contracts for both size buildings with offerings of $144,798 and $179,339.”
Allison Elementary School was built and opened in 1955 at 515 Vargas Road to replace the Colorado School at 507 Vargas Road. Colorado School was shut down immediately after construction for Allison Elementary School was completed. Now Colorado School was already vacant by 1955. Students from the Colorado School, enrolled in grades 1 through 3, were sent to attend classes at Allison Elementary School.
The school was renamed to Allison School to Colorado School. Allison School became Allison Elementary School later that year. However this school was still referred to as Colorado School and Colorado Elementary School by the Austin American newspaper until 1970. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/386624607/)
A playground adjacent to what is now Allison School aka Allison Elementary School for students in grades 1 through 6. The land for Civitan Park was purchased by the Austin Parks and Recreation Department in 1953 after the City of Austin had annexed the Montopolis neighborhood. (Ref: Austin American, Allison Set As Site Of Playground Setting, Page 18, Thursday, April 14, 1955)
“Setting up a playground adjacent to Allison School (formerly Colorado School) in Montopolis were discussed by Beverly Sheffield, director of Austin Recreation Department, at a meeting of neighboring parents Tuesday night at the school. The playground will be located on Vargas Road. Sheffield said that playground apparatus, including slide, swings, merry-go-round, jungle gym, and see-saw has already been installed. The recreation department is waiting for the school building to be completed before planning further development, Sheffield said. Mr. and Mrs. George E. Norred were elected co-chairmen of a playground committee.”
The frame buildings serving as Colorado School were put up for bid by Austin Independent School District (Austin ISD) in 1956. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/386096250/)
All of the transplanted Colorado School buildings were vacant by 1957. Any remaining buildings serving as Colorado School were demolished after wards. (Ref: Austin American Statesman, History built on history at Montopolis Friendship Community Center, Wednesday, October 11, 2017)
Colorado School was located on 507 Vargas Road, Austin, Texas, US 78741.
Colorado School used a series of different addresses over the course of 5 years. The addresses of Colorado School were as follows:
507 Vargas Road, Austin, Texas, US 78741
514 Vargas Road, Austin, Texas, US 78741
515 Vargas Road, Austin, Texas, US 78741
619 Vargas Road, Austin, Texas, US 78741
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