J. Milton Turner School
J. Milton Turner School, originally Meacham Park School, is a historic former school building in the Meacham Park neighborhood of Kirkwood, Missouri outside St. Louis. It served African Americam students during segregation and was named for James Milton Turner.[1]
J. Milton Turner School | |
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![]() J. Milton Turner School in 2017. | |
Location | Kirkwood, St. Louis |
Coordinates | 38°33′52″N 90°24′9.56″W |
Governing body | Private |
![]() ![]() Location of J. Milton Turner School in Missouri ![]() ![]() J. Milton Turner School (the United States) |
History
The school was opened in 1925 with an enrollment of 230 students.[2] It is a two-story U-shaped brick building.[3] The original wooden building of the school was demolished after two brick buildings were constructed, the first in 1937 (north section) and the second in 1948 (U-shaped south front of the building), establishing the school current exterior form.[4] Both parts of the school were designed by Bonsack & Pearce.[3] It was closed in the 1976 - 1977 school year.[4] Currently, the school is advertised as Turner Office Lots.[5]
It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[3]
The other school for African Americans in the area, Booker T. Washington, was then closed in 1950 and demolished.[3] It has been converted into an office building.[4]
In media
A photograph of the school was included in a report on educational discrimination in St. Louis.[6] KETC aired a segment on the school as part of its Living St. Louis Series. The St. Louis Business Journal reported in 2006 that the building underwent $20 million in renovations.[7]
References
- March 21st, rew McMunn |; 2018 (2018-03-21). "Black history is deeply rooted in formation of Meacham Park in Kirkwood". Webster Journal. Retrieved 2021-01-06.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- Rights, United States Commission on Civil (1977). School Desegregation ...: A Staff Report of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. U.S. Government Printing Office.
- https://dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/02000905.pdf National Reigster of Historic Places nomination form
- "J. Milton Turner School - Kirkwood, Missouri - Former Schools on Waymarking.com". www.waymarking.com.
- "Turner Office Lofts". Third Man Development.
- "Citizen Brown: J. Milton Turner School, Meacham Park". Citizen Brown: Race, Democracy, and Inequality in the St. Louis Suburbs.
- Jones, Anna (Jan 29, 2006). "Meacham Park undergoes $20 million in improvements". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2021-01-06.