{"nrhp_refnum":"95000314","name":"Fannin, James W., Elementary School","other_names":["Phase IV--East Dallas DAL/DA 185"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"4800 Ross Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Dallas","county":"Dallas County","state":"TX","lat":32.80539647000006,"lon":-96.77583307799995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1995-03-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick elementary school at 4800 Ross Avenue in East Dallas, Texas, built in 1915 and designed by the Dallas firm Lang & Witchell. An attached former house serves as the PTA's offices and meeting rooms.","why_significant":"The school is argued to be one of Dallas's oldest and most intact educational buildings, with an eclectic design showing Late Gothic Revival features. Most Dallas schools of the period used classical detailing, so its Gothic-inspired design is described as unusual. It was also designed by Lang & Witchell, a prolific and influential Dallas firm.","narrative":"Fannin Elementary School, at 4800 Ross Avenue in East Dallas, is a three-story brick school completed in 1915 and still used for teaching by the Dallas Independent School District. It was the second building of a two-school complex named for James W. Fannin; the first, built in 1908, was demolished in the 1980s. Lang & Witchell, a prolific Dallas architectural firm, designed the surviving building. Its facade has cast-stone detailing, a projecting central bay with five vertical divisions, and an ornate parapet with cartouches. The design resists a single style but shows Late Gothic Revival features, which set it apart from the classically detailed schools common in Dallas at the time. A ca. 1912 house, acquired about 1928 and now used for PTA offices, is attached and counts as a contributing part of the property. A large rear addition and portable classrooms are newer. The school was listed for its architecture and its retained 1915 character.","period_of_significance":"1915","architect_builder":"Lang & Witchell (architects, Dallas)","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century Movements: Tudor Revival (description notes Late Gothic Revival elements)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still used as an elementary school by the Dallas Independent School District; described as in good condition with a major rear addition and portable classrooms.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.829339-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/84/9686/40968684/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/95000314.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95000314/0406b9a295-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95000314/0406b9a295-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JamesWFanninElementarySchool_(1_of_1).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JamesWFanninElementarySchool_(1_of_1).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40968684","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innovation,_Design,_Entrepreneurship_Academy","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q65073567"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/dallas-county/fannin-james-w-elementary-school-95000314/"}