William B. Lipscomb Elementary School
This school, built in 1920 to relieve the crowded conditions of area schools, was named for early educator William B. Lipscomb. A Tennessee native (b. 1860), Lipscomb served as principal of Dallas High School from 1894 until his death five years later.
The three-story structure, designed by architect Herbert M. Green and originally surrounded by over three acres of recreation grounds, boasts a facade trimmed with stone quoins and a basement wing with castellated stones revealing the date of construction. Two Gothic-style stone tablets adorn the two front entrances to display the school name.
Since its official opening in 1921, the school has served as an educational and social center for the Swiss Avenue, Munger Place, and Junius Heights neighborhoods. Over the years the school's enrollment reflected its changing environment. Rapid urbanization in the 1920s gave way to economic woes in the Great Depression of the 1930s, followed by a surge of patriotic activity and wartime relief efforts during World War II. The post-war years brought decreased enrollment when many families began moving to suburbs, but subsequent decades have seen a renewed vitalization to the old school and neighborhoods.
Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986.