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]

Not to be confused with Turner School in Rockford, Illinois or Meacham Elementary School in Tampa, Florida (Florida's Historic Black Public Schools Multiple Property Submission).
J. Milton Turner School
J. Milton Turner School in 2017.
LocationKirkwood, St. Louis
Coordinates38°33′52″N 90°24′9.56″W
Governing bodyPrivate
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]

See also

References
  1. 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)
  2. 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.
  3. https://dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/02000905.pdf National Reigster of Historic Places nomination form
  4. "J. Milton Turner School - Kirkwood, Missouri - Former Schools on Waymarking.com". www.waymarking.com.
  5. "Turner Office Lofts". Third Man Development.
  6. "Citizen Brown: J. Milton Turner School, Meacham Park". Citizen Brown: Race, Democracy, and Inequality in the St. Louis Suburbs.
  7. Jones, Anna (Jan 29, 2006). "Meacham Park undergoes $20 million in improvements". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
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