Tampa in Hillsborough County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Hillsborough County High School
Photographed By AGS Media, June 28, 2010
1. Hillsborough County High School Marker
Inscription.
Hillsborough County High School. . The oldest high school building standing today in Hillsborough County is located at 2704 Highland Avenue in Tampa. It was designed by Wilson Potter of New York. The cornerstone reads HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL, but when it opened on October 12, 1911, it was called Hillsborough High School and E.L. Robinson served as principal. The building was enlarged in 1923 by M. Leo Elliott but by 1928, it was again too small and the school moved from the Highland Avenue site to a larger facility. In the fall of 1928, the building became THOMAS JEFFERSON JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL. Under the guidance of principal D.W. Waters, a transition began in 1939 to reestablish a high school. The school was named THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL and the first class graduated in 1942. Again, having outgrown its physical capacity, the school closed in 1967 but later reopened at a new location. On April 24, 1994, due to the efforts of the TJHS Alumni Association, the school was renamed the D.W. WATERS MEMORIAL CENTER. It serves today as a memorial to Mr. Waters and a symbol of the County's early dedication to education.
The oldest high school building standing today in Hillsborough County is located at 2704 Highland Avenue in Tampa. It was designed by Wilson Potter of New York. The cornerstone reads HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL, but when it opened on October 12, 1911, it was called Hillsborough High School and E.L. Robinson served as principal. The building was enlarged in 1923 by M. Leo Elliott but by 1928, it was again too small and the school moved from the Highland Avenue site to a larger facility. In the fall of 1928, the building became THOMAS JEFFERSON JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL. Under the guidance of principal D.W. Waters, a transition began in 1939 to reestablish a high school. The school was named THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL and the first class graduated in 1942. Again, having outgrown its physical capacity, the school closed in 1967 but later reopened at a new location. On April 24, 1994, due to the efforts of the TJHS Alumni Association, the school was renamed the D.W. WATERS MEMORIAL CENTER. It serves today as a memorial to Mr. Waters and a symbol of the County's early dedication to education.
Erected 2004 by The Preservation Committee, Thomas Jefferson High School Alumni Association.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Education. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1856.
Location.
Click or scan to see this page online
27° 58.084′ N, 82° 27.745′ W. Marker is in Tampa, Florida, in Hillsborough County. Marker is on North Highland Avenue south of West Gladys Street, on the left when traveling north. The marker is located in the city's Tampa Heights neighborhood. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2704 North Highland Avenue, Tampa FL 33602, United States of America. Touch for directions.
More about this marker. The marker is capped with the logo of the Tampa Historical Society.
Regarding Hillsborough County High School. The building, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007, was the third campus in Hillsborough High School's history. The school, first established in 1885, left this campus for their fourth and current home in the nearby Old Seminole Heights neighborhood.
The
Photographed By AGS Media, June 28, 2010
2. Hillsborough County High School Marker and D.W. Waters Career Center Sign
county established Thomas Jefferson High School at this site during the era of segregation to serve as the designated school for Hispanic students.
Sometime after Jefferson High left to re-open at a new location, the building became home to George Washington Junior High School until that school's closure in 1979.
Currently, the "Old Hillsborough County High School" building is the home to the D.W. Waters Career Center, a Hillsborough County Public School for 11th and 12th grade students getting occupational and vocational training.
5. Memorial bricks from Thomas Jefferson High School Alumni
The bricks surround the front flag pole on three sides.
Photographed By AGS Media, June 28, 2010
6. Thomas Jefferson High School Alumni Association bricks
At the sidewalk to the building's main entrance.
Photographed By AGS Media, April 23, 2010
7. Hillsborough High School in 2010
The school's fourth and current campus features the Gothic Revival-style architecture of Francis Kennard.
Photographed By AGS Media, April 23, 2010
8. Hillsborough High School in 2010
The 1928 building is a contributing structure to the Seminole Heights Residential District (a National and Local Historic District).
Credits. This page was last revised on November 10, 2019. It was originally submitted on June 28, 2010, by Glenn Sheffield of Tampa, Florida. This page has been viewed 5,075 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on June 28, 2010, by Glenn Sheffield of Tampa, Florida. 7, 8. submitted on June 29, 2010, by Glenn Sheffield of Tampa, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
