A Plan for PS103: Thurgood Marshall's Elementary School; Prepared for the Mayor's Commission on Former PS103 under the Auspices of the Baltimore National Heritage Area

Point Heritage Development Consulting

From project summary: "In 2008, the City of Baltimore embarked on a project to rehabilitate Public School 103 (PS 103), the Henry Highland Gamet School. The school, built in 1877, sits at 1315 Division Street in the Upton community of West Baltimore. Among the thousands of children educated in the building in its century as a public school is Thurgood Marshall, the nation's most renowned civil rights lawyer and the first African American Supreme Court Justice. The City's vision for the school includes sharing Marshall's story with the public. The roots of what Marshall would achieve lie deep in West Baltimore, where there exists a proud legacy of the legal struggle for civil rights. PS 103 is a tangible connection to this nationally significant story. The school sits at the heart of the community that shaped Marshall. It represents his first exposure to public education, a system upon which he would have a profound impact. Finally, the school witnessed the dramatic change that our society experienced in the 20th Century as desegregation helped us grow into the ideals set forth at our nation's founding. In recognition of this history, the City of Baltimore established the Mayor's Commission on Former PS103-Thurgood Marshall's Elementary School to chart a course for the future of the school building. The PS 103 Commission, with assistance from the Baltimore National Heritage Area, began working toward the creation of an interpretive center that will contribute to education and heritage tourism in the City... The PS 103 Commission oversaw the development of three interrelated studies that will guide rehabilitation and interpretation of the historic property-a Historical Study, a Historic Structure Report, and an Interpretive Plan. Together, these three reports comprise a long-range plan for the future of PS103." Funding for this item was provided in part through a 2007 Preserve America grant to the City of Baltimore (grant number 24-07-PA-3063) for the project Thurgood Marshall’s First School. The grant was administered by the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Preserve America is a federal initiative that encourages and supports community efforts to preserve and enjoy our priceless cultural and natural heritage. The goals of the program include a greater shared knowledge about the nation's past, strengthened regional identities and local pride, increased local participation in preserving the country's cultural and natural heritage assets, and support for the economic vitality of our communities.

A Plan for PS103: Thurgood Marshall's Elementary School; Prepared for the Mayor's Commission on Former PS103 under the Auspices of the Baltimore National Heritage Area

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