Sanger Avenue Grade School
1930
I’m always a bit nervous when I hop in the car with my camera. I think this is why I take my boys with me. I like to have them along for the ride, and for the extra set of eyes. It was no surprise that we all saw these doors, or lack of doors at the same time. How could you miss it? There, on one end of an empty field, was the remains of an entry way to some kind of building. I had to stop and take pictures. It was perfect for Thursday Doors, only, it’s more of a case of Thursday Missing Doors, since the doors were gone, and all that still stands is an entry way.
That is all there was for the Sanger Avenue Grade School. There has to be a story. Without looking, I imagined the school was built by the WPA during the depression, and didn’t wear well. I’m sure it had plumbing that didn’t last, walls full of asbestos, a heating system that was dangerous, along with a complete lack of air conditioning. I can remember days during the 1960s when I sat in a school room without air conditioning, so it’s hard to imagine this one had any at all. In central Texas, that can mean long, drowsy days, with a lot of unproductive learning sessions. Kind of like our Covid days now.
But the door itself is a bit misleading. According to a history page for Waco, the school was actually built in 1904. There were renovations in 1930, which led to the only lasting remnant for the building. There were plans to turn it into something worthy of the building until money ran short, and arsonists hit in 2008. Even then, the building stood for a few more years. It was bulldozed in 2010. Sad. You can read the history here.
I’m glad I find the courage to go looking for things. It was neat to discover something so filled with history and mystery, and sad to think of its demise. I hope you enjoy the photos.
Joey asking, “where is the rest of the building?”
All photos copyright © Timothy J. Hammons 2021.
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