Wakefield in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Three R's
Top of the Town
— Tenleytown Heritage Trail —
The red-brick School ahead and to your left is Alice Deal Junior High, honoring the mathematics teacher and union leader who launched Washington’s first junior high school in 1919 at Seventh and O Streets, NW. Architect Albert Harris’s Colonial design for Deal Junior High represented the finest in modern school construction. From its opening in 1931, Deal’s student body included diplomatic children, giving it an international flavor typical of Washington.
On a remnant of old Howard Road behind Alice Deal is the Jesse Reno School, designed by municipal architect Snowden Ashford and opened nearly 30 years before Deal to serve the neighborhood’s African American children. Before Reno opened, they had walked either to a “colored” school at the site of today’s Murch Elementary or to one on Foxhall Road. Reno School served 160 elementary pupils, and offered adult education at night. But between 1928 and the early 1950s, the city razed Reno City, home to most of Tenleytown’s African American families, in order to create a water reservoir, Fort Reno Park, and school campuses. As a result, the “colored” school lost its students and closed. The building survives, however, along with a few fire hydrants amid the lawns of Fort Reno Park and some houses in the 4800 block of 41st Street, as the only visible reminders of Reno City.
Woodrow Wilson High School, across Nebraska Avenue opened in 1935, honoring our intellectual 28th president, a past president of Princeton University, and the only U.S. president to have earned a PhD. Princeton’s “tiger” came, too, to serve as Wilson’s athletic mascot. A community swimming pool, long promised to the citizens of Tenleytown, was added in 1978 and rebuilt in 2008.
Erected by Cultural Tourism DC. (Marker Number 4.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education. In addition, it is included in the Tenleytown Heritage Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1919.
Location. 38° 57.054′ N, 77° 4.482′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Wakefield. Marker is at the intersection of Nebraska Avenue Northwest and 38th Street Northwest, on the right when traveling east on Nebraska Avenue Northwest. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Washington DC 20016, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Schools (within shouting distance of this marker); Fort Reno (within shouting distance of this marker); Suburban Style (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Fort Reno (about 600 feet away); a different marker also named Fort Reno (about 600 feet away); a different marker also named Fort Reno (about 700 feet away); a different marker also named Fort Reno (about 800 feet away); Reservoir / Reno City (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Northwest Washington.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 4, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 435 times since then and 22 times this year. Last updated on March 8, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on May 4, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.