University High School was a public high school serving the northwestern portion of
Oakland, California. It originally opened in 1923 at what was 5714 Grove Street. Due to the proximity of the campus to the City of
Berkeley, "UNI" gained the reputation of the "feeder" high school of Oakland of students directly to the
University of California. The high school was closed following World War II in 1948.
In 1954, the campus was converted into first location of Oakland City College, which later became
Merritt College
Merritt College is a public community college in Oakland, California. Merritt, like the other three campuses of the Peralta Community College District, is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. The college e ...
. Merritt College moved to its new campus in 1967. In the early 1970s the location temporarily became a high school again, as
Oakland Technical High School moved its students into the campus while its normal location was retrofitted for earthquake safety. At the time, many called this site "Old Tech," although Oakland Tech was actually opened at its current location in 1914, before University High School.
After the "Tech" students moved back to their original campus, the building remained vacant for several years. At one point, it was used as the filming location for the 1987 film ''
The Principal''.
The location has been rehabilitated and is now shared between the
Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute and the North Oakland Senior Center. Grove Street was subsequently renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Way. This site was added to the
National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
National Register of Historic Places in Alameda County
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Among its notable alumni is 1936 Olympic 400 meters
The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is on ...
Gold Medalist Archie Williams and his classmate, tennis great Don Budge .
References
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School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in California
Defunct schools in California
Public high schools in California
Mission Revival architecture in California
School buildings completed in 1923
High schools in Oakland, California
National Register of Historic Places in Oakland, California
1923 establishments in California