Washington Graded and High School was the first public high school for African Americans in Raleigh and continued as the only such school until 1953. Many influential members of the Raleigh African American community were Washington High School graduates. The building is an example of the Jacobean style popular for school buildings in the 1920s. The architect, C. A. Gadsden Sayre, who was noted for his school designs, employed a sophisticated combination of stone and glazed terra cotta accents on the brick structure. The building now houses the Washington Gifted and Talented Elementary Magnet School of the Wake County Public School System.

Photo by D. Strevel, Capital City Camera Club
courtesy of Preservation North Carolina

 

This entry is about Historic Resources in Raleigh. Initial information provided by the Raleigh Historic Development Commission. You can find more entries about Raleigh's historic resources here.