Washington Education Center (Pittsburgh)
Washington Education Center is a former vocational school in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Lawrenceville at 40th Street and Eden Way.
| Washington Education Center | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
169 40th St. , 15216 | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | September 1, 1937[1] |
| Closed | 2006 |
| School district | Pittsburgh Public Schools |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Website | 40°28′10″N 79°57′46″W / 40.4695°N 79.9628°W |
Washington Vocational School | |
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1908 |
| Architect | Charles W. Bier, Marion M. Steen |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian, Art Deco |
| Part of | Lawrenceville Historic District[3] (ID100004020) |
| MPS | Pittsburgh Public Schools TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 86002715[2] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | September 30, 1986 |
| Designated CP | July 8, 2019 |
| Designated PHLF | 2002[4] |
Washington Polytechnic Academy was located on the former site of Washington Elementary School, which had a history spanning from 1868 until 1935. Originally named Washington Number One, the school was named in honor of George Washington's crossing of the Allegheny River with Christopher Gist. A marker on the school notes the event. A structure was constructed on the site in 1908 and in 1936 was expanded to form the Washington Trade School. The Charles W. Bier designed structure opened on September 1, 1937.[1] From 1937 until the early 21st century it served as a public vocational school[5] capable of accommodating 900 students and included a testing laboratory, bricklaying shop, print shop, library, two drafting rooms, blue print shop, mimeograph room, and an auditorium with a seating capacity of 384.
On February 2, 1972 Julie Nixon Eisenhower visited the school during her fathers re-election campaign to discuss busing.[6] In May 1972, an international contingent of students visited the center from Brazil, Thailand, South Korea, Venezuela, Chile, Peru, Afghanistan, and Libya.[7]
The school building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.[2] The building was used as a school until 2006 and later sold with plans to be converted to a hotel.[8] It opened in 2019 as the TRYP by Wyndham Pittsburgh/Lawrenceville, with 108 guest rooms and two restaurants.[9]
References edit
- ^ a b "Request Rejected".
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Lawrenceville Historic District" (PDF). City of Pittsburgh. National Park Service. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
- ^ Historic Landmark Plaques 1968-2009 (PDF). Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. 2010. Retrieved 2011-07-28.
- ^ "lhs15201.org". www.lhs15201.org. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
- ^ "The Pittsburgh Press - Google News Archive Search".
- ^ "Request Rejected". images.library.pitt.edu.
- ^ Schooley, Tim (June 5, 2015). "New buyer looking at Lawrenceville school for hotel conversion". Pittsburgh Business Times. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
- ^ Pitz, Marylynne (June 5, 2019). "Vocation to vacation: How a trade school became a TRYP hotel". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved August 2, 2019.