Marker Logo HMdb.org THE HISTORICAL
MARKER DATABASE
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Buena Vista in Southeast Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Nichols Avenue Elementary School / Old Birney School Site

2427 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE

— African American Heritage Trail, Washington DC —

 
 
Nichols Avenue Elementary School/Old Birney School Site Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, December 28, 2016
1. Nichols Avenue Elementary School/Old Birney School Site Marker
Inscription. James G. Birney Elementary School (founded 1889) was the city's first public school for African Americans in this area, then known as Hillsdale. Previously, residents organized their own schools. The Old Birney School expanded in 1901 with the construction of this Italian Renaissance building. In 1962 it was renamed for Nichols Avenue, the original name of Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue. After educating thousands of area schoolchildren, the building served as a community center and a library before standing vacant. Community activism saved it from demolition in the 1970s. The remodeled building re-opened in 2005 as Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School.
 
Erected by Cultural Tourism DC.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African AmericansEducation. In addition, it is included in the African American Heritage Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1889.
 
Location. 38° 51.736′ N, 76° 59.608′ W. Marker is in Southeast Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Buena Vista. Marker is at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue Southeast and Howard Road Southeast, on the right when traveling south on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue Southeast. Touch for map
Paid Advertisement
Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.
Click or scan to see
this page online
. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2427 Martin Luther King Jr Avenue Southeast, Washington DC 20020, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Birney School (within shouting distance of this marker); A Museum for the Community (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); A Navy Town (about 300 feet away); Faith and Action (about 400 feet away); Crossing Lines (approx. 0.2 miles away); Roads That Divide (approx. 0.2 miles away); Barry Farm Dwellings (approx. 0.2 miles away); Campbell African Methodist Episcopal Church (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Southeast Washington.
 
More about this marker.
[Caption:]
Students learn about the ice man in front of the original Birney School, 1899.
By Frances Benjamin Johnston, Library of Congress
 
Also see . . .  Nichols Avenue Elementary School/Old Birney School. African American Heritage Trail (Submitted on January 16, 2018, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.) 
 
Nichols Avenue Elementary School/Old Birney School Site Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, December 28, 2016
2. Nichols Avenue Elementary School/Old Birney School Site Marker
Students learn about the ice cream man in front of the original Birney School 1899. image. Click for full size.
Library of Congress
3. Students learn about the ice cream man in front of the original Birney School 1899.
"Kennebec Ice horse-drawn wagon parked in front of Birney Public School - school children lined up with teacher behind wagon as man shows them large chunk of ice suspended by tongs, Washington, D.C." by Francis Benjamin Johnson
Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, December 28, 2016
4. Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School
Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, December 28, 2016
5. Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School
College Prep for Grades 9-12
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 29, 2016, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 763 times since then and 72 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on December 29, 2016, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.

Share this page.  
Share on Tumblr
m=100679

CeraNet Cloud Computing sponsors the Historical Marker Database.
This website earns income from purchases you make after using our links to Amazon.com. We appreciate your support.
Paid Advertisements
Mar. 28, 2024