Riverside Public School
a.k.a. Riverside Public School No. H; Corinth Baptist Youth Center
2629 LaSalle St., Fort Worth, TXThe Riverside Public School was built in 1911 and used as a school until 1936. The school was annexed into the city limits of Fort Worth in 1922 but the Fort Worth school system did not assume control of it until 1923. By state law, Riverside Public School provided an excellent example of the “separate but equal” education.
The Riverside Public School was constructed in 1911 and used as a school until 1936. The school was annexed into the city limits of Fort Worth in 1922 but the Fort Worth school system did not assume control of it until 1923. By state statute, Texas communities were required to establish separate schools for white and black youth. Riverside Public School provides an excellent example of the system of “separate but equal” education. Despite its physical shortcomings, the school was an important community resource and former students look back on the building and the educational experience they received there with much fondness and pride. Although the property is currently owned by a religious institution, it meets Criterion Consideration A as a resource that derives its primary significance from its historical associations. As a rare surviving example, it is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places at the local level under Criterion A for its association with the education of African American youth, first in the community of Riverside and then the city of Fort Worth, Texas.
Local significance of the building:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.