The 1912 Building

The red bricks are stacked three stories tall, framing oversized windows and surrounded by soft green fields, age old trees and familiar sidewalks. The building stands quietly now, but memories echo with the sounds of 100 years’ worth of students and teachers walking through its doors. 

With every passing year, a new generation found something in the building to learn, to love, or even to hate, but the memories ring clear for every person who spent any amount of time in the building. Lifelong friendships, educational breakthroughs, and impossible pranks are still as vivid now as in the decades when their legends began. 

In 1912, construction began on the southeast corner of First and Dryden to replace the overcrowded old school on Fifth Street. Classes began in the building the following spring, with the Class of 1913 as its first to graduate. Inspectors called the building a “gem” and the staff were “all smiles” according to The Odessa Democrat’s March 28,1913 edition. 

A mere 11 years later, the building was already in need of expansion due to the rapidly growing community. In 1924, another section was added onto the south end of the building, adding more classrooms, a larger gymnasium and a stage, bringing it up to its current layout. The old gym was turned into the music room and the old auditorium became the study hall.

The school remained home to all grades until additional needs for expansion resulted in the building of McQuerry Elementary School in 1955. Students in grades 7-12 remained in the building as the population continued to grow. 

The school changed yet again with the annexation of the Bates City and Mayview districts, requiring a new high school to be built in 1966, leaving the building in service as the Junior High School. The framed senior photos high on the walls of the second floor remained to remind current students of the building’s past.

Time leaves its marks on a building, and by 2009, the building was in need of many renovations, more than what was feasible for the school district. With the construction of the Odessa Upper Elementary, the building ceased to be a school and was sold to the city. 

In the intervening years, suggestions have been made on how to use the building, including senior housing, city offices, or recreational uses. Although many residents are concerned about the safety of the building, a professional inspection has verified it as a sound structure. Efforts continue to designate it as a historic site, but until that occurs, there is limited funding for renovation. As we ponder the building’s future, the stories of its past remain vibrant.