Forest Avenue High School, Old
historic place
In Dallas, Texas, at 3000 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, stands the Old Forest Avenue High School. A building permit for the school was issued in July 1915, and it opened for classes in 1916. Designed in the Italian Renaissance architectural style, the three-story brick structure was built to serve the growing suburban communities of South Dallas in the early 20th century. Initially, it operated as an all-white high school. By 1956, due to changing demographics, Forest Avenue High School was discontinued as a white high school. It was then renamed James Madison High School to serve the predominantly African-American neighborhood. The Old Forest Avenue High School was added to the National Register of Historic Places in March 1995 and designated a Dallas Landmark in November 1993. It remains an example of early 20th-century Italian Renaissance architecture in Dallas and reflects the city's suburban expansion and demographic changes.