Spartan Village in Norfolk, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Booker T. Washington High School

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

1. Booker T. Washington High School Marker

Inscription. James T. West High School, one of Virginia’s first accredited public high schools for African-Americans, was renamed in 1917 for Booker T. Washington, educator, author and orator. The school moved to a newly constructed building in 1924 and for decades was Norfolk’s only public high school for black students. Its programs were central to the community. In 1939-1940, faculty members Aline Black and Melvin Alston pursued legal action that led to a federal court decision requiring salary equalization for black and white teachers. In Sept. 1963, students marched to protest poor facilities. Norfolk implemented a desegregation plan in 1970, and the school moved into a new building here in 1974.

Erected 2018 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number KV-30.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Education. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1917.

Location. 36° 51.123′ N, 76° 15.953′ W. Marker is in Norfolk, Virginia. It is in Spartan Village. It is at the intersection of East Virginia Beach Boulevard (U.S. 58) and Park Avenue (James A Clark Avenue)

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(Virginia Route 166), on the right when traveling west on East Virginia Beach Boulevard. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1111 Park Avenue, Norfolk VA 23504, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Hampton Roads,

specifically in Coastal Virginia,

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: American Cigar Factory (approx. 0.4 miles away); First Cavalry Baptist Church (approx. ¾ mile away); Attucks Theater Monument (approx. ¾ mile away); Plummer Bernard Young Sr. (1884-1962) (approx. 0.8 miles away); Attucks Theatre (approx. 0.8 miles away); a different marker also named Attucks Theatre (approx. 0.8 miles away); Hospital of St. Vincent dePaul (approx. 0.8 miles away); Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (approx. 0.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Norfolk.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

2. Booker T. Washington High School Marker

James T. West High School 1906-1922 image. Click for full size.

Virginia Department of Historic Resources, 1911

3. James T. West High School 1906-1922

Recognized as one of the first African-American High Schools in the South.

Old Booker T. Washington High School 1923-1976 image. Click for full size.

4. Old Booker T. Washington High School 1923-1976

Current Booker T. Washington High School image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

5. Current Booker T. Washington High School

Credits. This page was last revised on June 2, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 26, 2019, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 2,141 times since then and 106 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on February 26, 2019, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.