{"nrhp_refnum":"04001592","name":"Douglass School","other_names":["File # 102-5021"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"711 Oakview Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Bristol (Independent City)","county":"Bristol","state":"VA","lat":36.60916388100003,"lon":-82.17507469399999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-02-02","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Black","Education"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick school building at 711 Oakview Avenue in Bristol, Virginia, built in 1921 with additions around 1929 and in 1963. It served as the school for the city's African-American students.","why_significant":"The school is nominated under Criterion A for its role in African-American education in Bristol, Virginia, where it was the sole school for Black students. It is tied to local patterns of segregated education and served as a social and cultural center for the Black community. Integration began in 1966 and 1967.","narrative":"Douglass School is a two-story brick building at 711 Oakview Avenue in Bristol, Virginia, near a five-points intersection close to downtown. The original school was completed in 1921, replacing a one-story building on Piedmont Avenue that dated to 1896 as \"The Colored School.\" It was renamed for Frederick Douglass in 1911. Additions followed around 1929 and in 1963, and the original hipped roof was later replaced by a flat roof. The school was the only one serving African-American students in Bristol, Virginia. In 1948 it consolidated with the Black school in Abingdon, and its students came from both towns. Beyond classes, it hosted clubs, sports, a marching band, and community gatherings, and alumni described it as the center of their community. The senior class was integrated in 1966 and the rest of the high school in 1967. The school closed in 1991 and has since been used as a community center.","period_of_significance":"Ca. 1921 - 1954","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"No Style","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Closed as a school in 1991; has served as a community center since, currently housing a Head Start program among other tenants. The form's function entry lists work in progress, with plans to convert classrooms to apartments.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:02.929185-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/46/6798/41679846/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/04001592.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04001592/7b6092d70d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04001592/7b6092d70d-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Douglass_School,_Bristol.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Douglass_School,_Bristol.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41679846","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglass_School_(Bristol,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14712247"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/bristol/douglass-school-04001592/"}