“Stevens School Building To Be Abandoned”

Source: Denison Sunday Gazetteer, January 9, 1927

After being in service for almost forty years [1890], the old Stevens school building located on North Austin Avenue, is soon to be abandoned for public school purposes, so it has been announced by the school board, and the scholastics of that ward will be transferred to the Central Ward building.

Somewhere in the city archives it is recorded that, should the site of the Stevens school building ever be abandoned for school purposes, the land would revert from control by the school board, back to the city council, and the latter could do with it as it so wills. Having no further need for the building, it now falls to the council to dispose of the property. It is for sale—who wants to buy? It is understood the council has received a bid for the building and grounds from a committee of colored citizens, in a tentative way and presumably to be used later in an educational way, but that is for the future to determine. It has also been suggested that the building be sold by the city and the proceeds used toward the purchase of a site for a municipal building, as the council is impressed the time is near approaching for the erection of such a building for the future need of the city.

If memory serves us right, the Stevens school building is a second addition of four school buildings erected at the same time by the City Council, with the contract being awarded to Edward Perry, who had stepped from the cashiership of a local bank and entered a general contracting business. The four designated to be erected, as the Washington high school had become overcrowded, were one building in each of the then respective wards. The four buildings were of two-story structure, with four rooms on the first floor and four above.

Of these four buildings there now stands only the old Burleson building in the Second Ward, being used as a college for Negro students, and the Houston school building. The Raynal building in the First Ward being torn down and replaced with a new structure, as well as the Lamar building over in the Fourth Ward. Receiving a general overhauling during the past summer months, the Houston building is being used today, and with the passing of the Stevens building almost all the early educational landmarks will have passed into history.