McKinley High School - Baton Rouge, LA
N 30° 26.034 W 091° 10.722
15R E 674906 N 3368275
Now known as the Mckinley Alumni Center, this school is the oldest high school established for African Americans in the State of Louisiana.
Waymark Code: WM8YA5
Location: Louisiana, United States
Date Posted: 05/30/2010
Views: 2
Fine looking building. The grounds were well maintained and the building appeared to be in great condition. I had passed this building almost daily, and never noticed it. It takes to almost a city block long, but it is "thin". I must warn, be cautious if visiting this Waymark, it is located in a high crime area of Baton Rouge.
From the Official Louisiana Register website, located
here, a brief statement about the structure states:
The McKinley High School Building is locally significant because of the role it has played in
the education of blacks in the Baton Rouge area. Prior to its construction in 1926 and opening in
September 1927, the only place area blacks could receive a secondary education was at a joint
elementary-high school named Baton Rouge High School (1914-1927).* When McKinley was
completed, the high school program of this school was phased out. Thus, the McKinley High School
was the first school in Baton Rouge constructed solely for the purpose of providing a high school
education for area blacks. For many years it served as the only secondary educational facility for
blacks within a 40 mile radius of Baton Rouge.
McKinley High School was converted to a junior high school in 1949 when a new high
school was constructed on McCalop Street. In 1956 McKinley became an elementary school and
then was phased out as a school in 1972.