Shaw Junior High School, now known as Asbury Dwellings, is an historic structure located in the

Shaw Shaw may refer to: Places Australia *Shaw, Queensland Canada *Shaw Street, a street in Toronto England *Shaw, Berkshire, a village *Shaw, Greater Manchester, a location in the parish of Shaw and Crompton *Shaw, Swindon, a List of United Kingdom ...

neighborhood of

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

It has been listed on the

District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites The District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites is a register of historic places in Washington, D.C. that are designated by the District of Columbia Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB), a component of the District of Columbia Govern ...

and 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 v ...

since 2008.

History

The school was named after

Robert Gould Shaw Robert Gould Shaw (October 10, 1837 – July 18, 1863) was an American officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Born into a prominent Boston Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist family, he accepted command of the firs ...

, who led the

54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that saw extensive service in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The unit was the second African-American regiment, following the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry ...

, one of the first official African American units during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. From 1902 until 1928 the building housed the William McKinley Manual Training School. It was a school for white students and opened the same time as

Armstrong Manual Training School Friendship Armstrong Academy is a public charter school located in the Truxton Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Historically a black school, it is housed in the former Armstrong Manual Training School, also known as the Samuel Chapman Ar ...

for African Americans. They were part of an educational trend that began in the late 19th century of developing schools that taught industrial education along with the more traditional academic curriculum that prepared students for college. When McKinley moved to a larger campus in 1928 the building became Robert Gould Shaw Junior High School, which had previously opened for black students on M Street in 1921. The new Shaw was also a blacks-only school until segregation ended, but it remained primarily African-American. The school became overcrowded and poorly maintained. As it started to deteriorate the building was referred to as “Shameful Shaw.” It was illustrative of the city's neglect of African Americans. In 1977, Shaw was moved to a new school at 9th Street and Rhode Island Avenue NW. In 2008, Shaw again moved, this time to the Garnet-Patterson school building at 10th and V Streets NW, where it became known as Shaw Middle School at Garnet-Patterson. In 2013, Shaw at Garnet-Patterson closed due to low enrollment following the murder of its principal, Brian Betts. Shaw had a prolific music program with its band marching in the Macy's parade, the Rose Bowl and the Gimbel's parade in Philadelphia, PA. The band was directed by Mr. Lloyd Hoover. The old Shaw Junior High building now houses apartments.

Name of Shaw neighborhood

Until the 1960s, what is now Shaw was called Midcity. In 1966, planners used the enrollment boundary of Shaw Junior High School to define the Shaw School Urban Renewal Area – which created a concept of a "Shaw neighborhood" larger than what is generally considered Shaw today, covering today's core

neighborhood, the U Street Corridor, Logan Circle and

Truxton Circle Truxton Circle is a neighborhood of Northwest Washington, D.C. Politically, it is located in Ward 5. Truxton Circle is bordered by New Jersey Avenue to the west; Florida Avenue to the north; New York Avenue to the south; and North Capitol Str ...

Architecture

The building was designed by architect Henry Ives Cobb. It is part of the city's effort to hire private architects to improve the designs of public schools. The exterior is composed of buff-colored brick and limestone trim. It features an arcade of Romanesque arches on the third floor.

References

{{Authority control School buildings completed in 1902 Romanesque Revival architecture in Washington, D.C. African-American history of Washington, D.C. School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. Historically segregated African-American schools in Washington, D.C. Shaw (Washington, D.C.) 1902 establishments in Washington, D.C.