Wiley H. Bates High School

Wiley H. Bates High School was a historic black school building in Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland. It was completed in 1932, and replaced the original Annapolis Colored High School.[2] The school building was named after Wiley H. Bates, a prominent African-American businessman and community leader whose financial donations enabled the school to be built.[3] The name of the school lives on in Wiley H. Bates Middle School, while the original building has been turned into a retirement home combined community center. [4]

Wiley H. Bates High School
Wiley H. Bates High School, July 2009
Wiley H. Bates High School is located in Maryland
Wiley H. Bates High School
Wiley H. Bates High School is located in the United States
Wiley H. Bates High School
Location1029 Smithville Street, Annapolis, Maryland
Coordinates38°58′28″N 76°30′44″W / 38.97444°N 76.51222°W / 38.97444; -76.51222
Area1.6 acres (0.65 ha)
Built1932 (1932)
ArchitectBuckler & Fenhagen; Et al.
Architectural styleColonial Revival
NRHP reference No.92001267[1]
Added to NRHPJuly 26, 1994

Architecture

edit

The original portion of the building is a flat-roofed, two-story building of brick and masonry bearing walls and wood frame floor and roof structure in Colonial Revival style.[2] First-floor classrooms were added to both the north and south sections in 1937, and second-floor classrooms were added in 1945. Additional teaching facilities were added in 1950,[2] in a simplified International or Modern style.

The site is now known as Wiley H. Bates Heritage Park. The building has been repurposed into 71 senior housing units, a senior center, a boys and girls club, and a museum dedicated to Annapolis merchant and civic leader Wiley H. Bates.[5]

Wiley H. Bates High School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.[1]

School

edit
Wiley H. Bates High School
Location
 
Information
Other nameBates Junior High School (until 1981)
TypePublic, segregated
Opened1932
Closed1981
Last updated: 30 December 2017 or December 30, 2017 -->

Prior to desegregation, Bates was the only public school in the county that African-American students could attend for a secondary level education.[6] In 1966, Annapolis schools were integrated by court order, the upper grades moved to Annapolis High School, and Bates continued as one of the city's two integrated junior high schools.[7] In 1981, a new high school was constructed and Bates left its original building and moved into part of the old high school campus. Since 1990, it has been called Bates Middle School.

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c Michael Juston Dowling and Peter E. Kurtze (April 1992). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Wiley H. Bates High School" (PDF). Maryland Historical Trust. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
  3. ^ "Wiley H. Bates Middle School: About Us". The History of Wiley H. Bates. Anne Arundel County Public Schools.
  4. ^ "Wiley Bates | Apartments in Annapolis, MD". wileybates.enterpriseresidential.org. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  5. ^ "The Residences at Wiley H. Bates Heritage Park". Community Preservation and Development Corporation.
  6. ^ Rajewski, Genevieve. "Historic School's Students Come Home".
  7. ^ Collins, David (2019-02-07). "Alumni of Anne Arundel County's first African-American high school still meet monthly". WBAL. Retrieved 2024-05-24.
edit