Case Studies

Three black-and-white images of different buildings: a large multi-story brick building, a historic house with a turret, and a small two-story house with a chimney and front porch.

Douglass Elementary School, Loudoun County, VA

Overview:

Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) wanted to replace the 1958 Douglass Elementary School building with a larger facility. LCPS sought History Matters' expertise to develop historical information about the original school in order to help create an identity for the new facility.

Challenge:

LCPS needed to demolish a building whose architecture was not historically significant, but the context in which it was built and the experiences of its alumni were. The 1958 Douglass Elementary School was built to serve as a segregated school for African-American students. Loudoun County did not fully integrate its public school system until the late 1960s. There was little documentation of this period. LCPS wanted a documented history to provide context in order to improve community outreach as well as inform the design of the new building.

Solution:

To help LCPS understand the history of Douglass Elementary School, History Matters created something which did not exist—a comprehensive, thoroughly researched historical narrative of Loudoun County’s experiences of public school desegregation in the 1950s and 1960s and a historical timeline of Douglass Elementary School itself.

History Matters researched and wrote Desegregation in Loudoun County Public Schools, 1954-1969, to supply LCPS with a historical narrative to provide a contextual foundation for the project. The document was used as reference throughout the development, design, and construction process.

Result:

LCPS shared History Matters’ Desegregation in Loudoun County Public Schools, 1954-1969 with alumni, community stakeholders, and the public and used the report to establish an identity for the new Frederick Douglass Elementary School that opened in 2013. The design of the current school reflects the history in a fashion which allows for the current students to be informed and curious about the history of Virginia’s educational system. LCPS’ approach continues to win awards for the new facility’s planning, design, and civic engagement.

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