{"nrhp_refnum":"83003160","name":"Austin, Stephen F., Elementary School","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"319 Lipscomb St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fort Worth","county":"Tarrant County","state":"TX","lat":32.74136147300004,"lon":-97.33275866699995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-03-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story Romanesque Revival elementary school at 319 Lipscomb Street in south-central Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas, built in 1892 with additions in 1909 and 1958. It is also known as the Sixth Ward School.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the school is architecturally significant as a vernacular version of the Romanesque Revival style, designed by the prominent Fort Worth firms Messer, Sanguinet & Messer and later Sanguinet & Staats. It is also thought to be the oldest surviving school building in Fort Worth and Tarrant County, used for elementary education for 85 years. Its sympathetic conversion to corporate offices is noted as an example of adaptive reuse.","narrative":"Built in 1892 as the Sixth Ward School on Fort Worth's south side, this two-story red brick and stone building later took the name Stephen F. Austin Elementary School in 1904. Its Romanesque Revival design features two large arched entrances with rough-faced stone voussoirs, stone quoins, lintels and sills, and false turrets with triangular parapets. Messer, Sanguinet & Messer designed the original building. Sanguinet & Staats added a matching wing in 1909, and a kitchen followed in 1958 in similar materials. The school served students for 85 years until the Fort Worth school board closed it in 1977, and it is considered the oldest surviving school building in Tarrant County. After a period of lease to a mental health authority, the building was renovated as corporate headquarters. The work kept pressed metal ceilings, wainscotting, interior windows and blackboards, so the building retains the feel of a turn-of-the-century school.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899, 1900-","architect_builder":"Messer, Sanguinet & Messer (1892); Sanguinet & Staats (1909); Morris & Parker (1958)","architectural_style":"Romanesque Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Converted to corporate headquarters after the school closed in 1977; the renovation retained original trim, pressed metal ceilings, interior windows and blackboards.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.978217-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/68/9734/40973468/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/83003160.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83003160/67c3a126de-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83003160/67c3a126de-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Steveaustinschool1.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Steveaustinschool1.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973468","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_F._Austin_Elementary_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7609162"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/tarrant-county/austin-stephen-f-elementary-school-83003160/"}