Booker T. Washington High School (Columbia, South Carolina)

Booker T. Washington High School Auditorium
Booker T. Washington High School Auditorium building (2020)
Location in South Carolina
Location1400 Wheat Street,
Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.
Coordinates33°59′35″N 81°01′31″W / 33.99306°N 81.02528°W / 33.99306; -81.02528
Area1.05 acres (0.42 ha)
ArchitectJames Burwell Urquhart
C. Heslep Company
Architectural styleInternational Style
MPSSegregation in Columbia, South Carolina MPS
NRHP reference No.100003059[1]
Added to NRHPOctober 24, 2018

Booker T. Washington High School was a segregated high school for African American students founded in 1916 in Columbia, South Carolina.[2][3][4] It closed in 1974.[2] The former school's auditorium is listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2018.[5][6][7]

History

The Booker T. Washington High School was founded in 1916, was the second segregated school for African American students.[7]

The Booker T. Washington High School Auditorium building is two-story brick building constructed in 1956 in the International Style.[7] The auditorium building housed an auditorium as well as classrooms for the vocational and performing arts.[7]

The other Booker T. Washington High School buildings were removed in 1974, when the campus was purchased by the University of South Carolina.[7]

Legacy

The University of South Carolina's 'Museum of Education' hosts a web exhibition on the high school and its participation in a 1940 Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools for Negroes’ Secondary School Study.[8]

Educational historian Anthony L. Edwards has written about the school and its history and conducted interviews as part of his research.[9] The Booker T. Washington High School Foundation was established to preserve and celebrate the school's heritage and legacy.[10]

Alumni

See also

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. June 24, 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Booker T. Washington High School". KnowItAll.org. South Carolina ETV Commission.
  3. ^ "SC Historic Properties Record : National Register Listing : Booker T. Washington High School Auditorium [S10817740167]". schpr.sc.gov.
  4. ^ "Gone but not Forgotten: Booker T. Washington High School, 1916-1974". Ashley N. Bouknight. May 19, 2015 – via WordPress.
  5. ^ Ward, Carol J.G. (April 9, 2020). "Popular UofSC civil rights exhibit will have a permanent home". University of South Carolina.
  6. ^ "Washington. Booker T., High School Auditorium". NPGallery, Digital Asset Management System.
  7. ^ a b c d e "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Washington. Booker T., High School Auditorium". National Park Service. 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2026. With accompanying pictures
  8. ^ "Booker T. Washington High School, Columbia, South Carolina". USC: Museum of Education. University of South Carolina.
  9. ^ Edwards, Anthony L. (March 1998). Booker T. Washington High School (1916-1974): Voices of Remembrance (PDF).
  10. ^ "Home". Booker T. Washington High School Foundation.
  11. ^ Click, Carolyn (October 6, 2009). "Celebrating achievements: 'We taught the whole child at Booker'". The State. p. 4, 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Collection: Ethel Evangeline Martin Bolden papers". ArchivesSpace Public Interface. Retrieved February 4, 2026.