Dunbar School is a historic

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

building located in Fairmont,

Marion County, West Virginia Marion County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 56,205. Its county seat is Fairmont. The county was named in honor of General Francis Marion (''ca.'' 1732–1795), known to history as "T ...

. It was built in 1928, and the first classes were held in January 1929. The school was added to 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 ...

in 2015.

History

Dunbar was attended by black students in grades one through twelve. It was the only school for black children in Fairmont, and the only black high school for Marion County. According to Christopher Belkon Agba, “Dunbar School was the center of the Westside community now-African American community in Fairmontfor socialization, communication, relationship building, and an education center of the neighborhood. Per residents, it didn’t matter if you had a child attending, it was a place for everyone.” The school was a member of the North Central Association for Secondary Schools and Colleges. Dunbar's last use as a high school came with the federally mandated end of segregated public education in the 1954–55 school year. Low enrollment ended the primary grades as well in 1956 and the school was closed. Dunbar reopened as an annex to the Fairmont Junior High School in 1963 and was used as an elementary school starting in the 1970s. It was permanently closed in 2007. The school was named after

Paul Laurence Dunbar Paul Laurence Dunbar (June 27, 1872 – February 9, 1906) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Dayton, Ohio, to parents who had been enslaved in Kentucky before the American C ...

, one of the first black writers to build a national reputation. It lost the Dunbar name in 1963, but it was restored when Fairmont residents petitioned the Board of Education in 1970.

Architecture

The school is built on a slope with two stories and an exposed basement section on the west elevation. The east elevation has five large windows to light the gymnasium. The rectangular building uses buff-colored brick with Flemish Garden Wall bond. The building was designed by

William B. Ittner William Butts Ittner (September 4, 1864 – 1936) was an architect in St. Louis, Missouri. He designed over 430 school buildings in Missouri and other areas, was president of the St. Louis Chapter of the American Institute of Architects from 1893 ...

, a well-known designer of public school buildings. Other Fairmont schools built by Ittner include the Thomas C. Miller Public School and the

Fairmont Senior High School Fairmont Senior High School, is a public high school in Fairmont, West Virginia. The current school building, built in 1928, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Serving grades nine through twelve, it is one of three high school ...

References

Colonial Revival architecture in West Virginia Defunct schools in West Virginia Former school buildings in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Marion County, West Virginia School buildings completed in 1928 School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia Schools in Marion County, West Virginia William B. Ittner buildings 1928 establishments in West Virginia Educational institutions established in 1928 1956 disestablishments in West Virginia Educational institutions disestablished in 1956 {{WestVirginia-school-stub