George Washington Carver School - Fulton, Missouri - WPA Projects on Waymarking.com

County of school: Callaway County
Location of school: Westminster Ave. & 9th St., Fulton
Built: 1937: Closed: 1982

"George Washington Carver school was a school for African American students in Fulton during segregation. It underwent integration in the 1960s. While the structure is now abandoned, there are hopes that it can be rehabilitated. The school’s namesake was present for the dedication of the building." ~ Living New Deal

"In 1937, Dr. George Washington Carver came to Fulton, Missouri to dedicate the new elementary school named in his honor and established for the children of the black community. The school has served as a focal point for the established black community of Fulton. No longer used as a public school, the building was purchased from the school district in 1989 by a dedicated group of Carver Elementary alumni and supporters. They wanted to revitalize the building and establish it as a historical site commemorating the historical significance of Carver Elementary and the legacy of Dr. Carver’s visit to Fulton. Through a community effort the Carver building is now listed on the National Registry of Historic Sites. The building is being revitalized as a museum honoring Dr. Carver and as a community center for social, cultural and educational programs. It is privately owned by the George Washington Carver Memorial Incorporated, a not for profit corporation.

"History of Carver School
"The building served as the elementary school for Fulton’s black children until 1968. When the elementary schools were racially desegregated, Carver was used as a middle school for all-sixth graders. Further changes in the school district during the 1980’s saw the sixth graders move on to another building and the Carver school closed. The building remained unused for a few years until the spring of 1989, when the George Washington Carver Memorial Corporation was formed and the Fulton Public School District agreed to allow it to use the building. Today the Carver Memorial board works to bring the building back to be the center of activity it was in former years." ~ Callaway County Public Library

"Constructed in 1937, the George Washington Carver School, 909 Westminster, Fulton, Callaway County, is a two-story brick building with a partial basement housing a boiler room and shop. It is T-shaped, with an asymmetrical façade. A kitchen was added adjacent to the auditorium around 1950; other than that, the original building has not been changed, and most of the original interior details remain intact.

ELABORATION: Completed in 1937 at roughly the same site as the former North School, the George Washington Carver School faces west to Westminster Avenue and is bounded by Carver Drive on the south, Poston Avenue on the east, and residential properties on the north. The school is a two-story brick building, T-shaped, with an asymmetrical facade, or west elevation. The main entrance door is emphasized by a large triple-hung mullioned window above, with 9/9/12 lights, and a concrete sign with the school's new name: George Washington Carver School. On either side of the entrance are two two-story projecting piers, finished with concrete caps carved with garlands. Three large expanses of windows on each floor -- five double-hung windows (9/12) in each bay -- allow ample natural light into the classrooms. A similar entrance of two-story piers capped with concrete caps with garlands appears on the south elevation also. The sign on that side still reads "North School"." ~ NRHP Nomination Form