Phoenix Union High School (PUHS) was a high school that was part of the
Phoenix Union High School District
The Phoenix Union High School District is a high school-only school district in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It is one of five high school-only districts in the Phoenix area.
Overview
The school district serves students within a area of Ph ...
in
downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ...
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
, one of five high school-only school districts in the Phoenix area. Founded in 1895 and closed in 1992, the school consisted of numerous buildings on a campus which by 1928 consisted of 18 acres.
In 1982, the majority of the campus was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
as the Phoenix Union High School Historic District
[ With ] The PUHS campus was included in the Phoenix Historic Property Register in 1986, and received landmark designation in 2003.
The campus is now part of the
Phoenix Biomedical Campus, including three buildings on East Van Buren Street between North 5th and North 7th Streets built in 1911-1912 and designed by
Norman Foote Marsh in the
Neoclassical style
Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing sty ...
. As of 2007, these three buildings became part of the
University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
.
History
The school was established in 1895, before Arizona's statehood.
It was, for many years, the oldest secondary school west of the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...
.
When PUHS first opened, it had four classroom and 90 students,
and was located on the second floor of an elementary school.
The three original main buildings, built during 1911–12, were designed by
Norman F. Marsh.
PUHS was the only high school in the Phoenix Union High School District not built for segregation purposes until 1938, when North Phoenix High School (now
North High School North High School may refer to:
* North High School (Phoenix, Arizona)
* North Pulaski High School, Jacksonville, Arkansas
* North High School (Bakersfield, California)
* John W. North High School, Riverside, California
* North High School (Torr ...
) opened.
Segregation
For a time, PUHS was a segregated school. While segregation of elementary schools in Arizona was mandated, segregation of high schools was never required by law.
School segregation in the Phoenix Union High School District began, following anti-
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
sentiments that increased after
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
.
A "Department for Colored Students" was established at a rear room of PUHS's Commercial Building in 1918, with one teacher.
The school's African American students were then housed in two small cottages that was separated from the PUHS campus by an irrigation ditch.
Eventually, the
Phoenix Union Colored High School (later renamed ''George Washington Carver High School'') was built on Grant Street.
School segregation persisted until 1954,
a year after a judge at the Maricopa County Superior Court struck down school segregation in Phoenix high schools as unconstitutional, in the case ''Phillips vs. Phoenix Union High Schools and Junior College District''.
Phoenix Union High School District's website makes few references to the school's segregated past, merely stating that Carver High was built to accommodate the district's African American population, and stating the school was closed, following integration.
Following integration
PUHS, along with
Carl Hayden High School and
South Mountain High School, took on the bulk of the school district's African American students, following the end of segregation.
The school's African American and Hispanic population increased during the 1950s and 1960s.
By 1970, the school's
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...
population fell to 19.3% of the student body, becoming a
majority minority
A majority-minority or minority-majority area is a term used to refer to a subdivision in which one or more racial, ethnic, and/or religious minorities (relative to the whole country's population) make up a majority of the local population.
Ter ...
school, but the school's ethnic minorities had little say in determining and conducting education at the school.
Meanwhile, violence between the school's Hispanic and African American population eventually played a large role in everyday school life, with each side blaming the other side.
In October 1970, Chicano leaders in Phoenix called for a boycott of the school, as a way to voice concerns over school security and educational quality.
Closure
PUHS, along with
North High School North High School may refer to:
* North High School (Phoenix, Arizona)
* North Pulaski High School, Jacksonville, Arkansas
* North High School (Bakersfield, California)
* John W. North High School, Riverside, California
* North High School (Torr ...
,
East High School, and
West High School, closed its doors in the 1980s, due to declining enrollment.
(North High would later reopen).
Legacy
Items showcasing the school's history are on display at the school's former Administration Building, now known as the Virginia G. Piper Auditorium.
Campus
Phoenix voters passed a bond to purchase the Churchill Mansion near 5th Avenue and Van Buren in 1897, and convert it into the Phoenix Union High School.
The school campus sits on a former residential area, bordered in part by two arterial streets, which was a factor in its selection as the site for PUHS.
The school also affected later developmental patterns in the area.
The school campus was later remodeled and enlarged in 1899 and 1910, respectively.
The school campus consists of nine buildings, of different architectural styles, and includes a stadium with a track and football field.
The school's gymnasium, built in 1941, was noted to have a lamella wooden roof that is the only such gymnasium roof known to exist in Arizona.
Following the school's closure, portions of the school's former campus served as the site of Phoenix's
municipal court City court or municipal court is a court of law with jurisdiction limited to a city or other municipality. It typically addresses "violations of city ordinances and may also have jurisdiction over minor criminal cases...and over certain civil ca ...
, until the courts moved into a new court complex built next to the
city hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
.
The campus now houses the
University of Arizona College of Medicine
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
-Phoenix.
Stadium
The campus served as site for the Montgomery Stadium, a multi-use
stadium
A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...
.
The stadium with capacity for 23,000 was built in the mid-1920s and dedicated in 1927. It hosted the
Salad Bowl from 1948 to 1952. Also, St. Mary's high school also used it for their home field.
Student population
The school was noted for having a large student body. In 1964, 6,320 students attended the school.
In 1965 alone, more than 1,000 students graduated from the school.
The school's student body declined from 1964, reaching 1,129 by 1981.
Athletics
The school's football team was considered to be a powerhouse in Arizona, winning 25 state championships before the school's closure, including nine consecutive state titles from 1920 to 1928.
The high number of students enrolled at the school was seen as a reason behind its dominance.
Notable alumni
*
Oscar P. Austin
Oscar Palmer Austin (January 15, 1948 – February 23, 1969) was a United States Marine who posthumously received his nation's highest military honor — the Medal of Honor — for heroism and sacrifice of his own life in Vietnam in Feb ...
, United States Marine, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient
*
Jimmy Bryan
James Ernest Bryan (January 28, 1926 – June 19, 1960) was an American racecar driver who won the 1958 Indianapolis 500. Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Bryan died as a result of injuries sustained in a champ car race at Langhorne Speedway.
Career
...
, race car driver, 1958 Indianapolis 500 winner
*
Jack Elam
William Scott "Jack" Elam (November 13, 1920 – October 20, 2003) was an American film and television actor best known for his numerous roles as villains in Western films and, later in his career, comedies (sometimes spoofing his villaino ...
, film and television character actor
*
Bill Mauldin
William Henry Mauldin (; October 29, 1921 – January 22, 2003) was an American editorial cartoonist who won two Pulitzer Prizes for his work. He was most famous for his World War II cartoons depicting American soldiers, as represented by th ...
, editorial cartoonist
Gallery
File:2021 Phoenix Union High School Domestic Arts and Science Building.jpg, Domestic Arts and Sciences Building
File:2021 Phoenix Union High School Auditorium.jpg, Auditorium
File:2021 Public Union High School Science Hall.jpg, Science Hall
References
External links
{{authority control
High schools in Phoenix, Arizona
Former high schools in Arizona
History of Phoenix, Arizona
Educational institutions established in 1895
1895 establishments in Arizona Territory
School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Arizona
National Register of Historic Places in Phoenix, Arizona
Beaux-Arts architecture in Arizona
Educational institutions disestablished in 1982
Mission Revival architecture in Arizona
Renaissance Revival architecture in Arizona
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Arizona
Defunct NCAA bowl game venues
Defunct college football venues
American football venues in Arizona
Sports venues in Phoenix, Arizona
High school football venues in the United States
1927 establishments in Arizona
Sports venues completed in 1927