The times., 1899-05-02
Site CHOSEN FOR THE
new COLORHD SCHOOL
Four Lots Purchased in P
Street for $15,19S.5O.
A Central Location for the Manual
Training Institution.
Some Opposition to the Selection
The Commissioners Pleased With
Their BarSain.

After much consideration and many con-
ferences with eolored school trustees, to
say nothing of the time spent on petit
tions and individual communications, the
Commissioners last evening reached de-
cision in the matter of selecting site
for the new 100000 Colored Manual
Training High School
The offer made by C. H. Fickling of a
lot located on the south side of 2 Street,
In the square between First and Second
Streets northwest, was accepted. The
property comprises lots u, %, %, and "a,
and contains a total area of 30,397 square
feet. 1t has frontage of 1882 feet and
a depth of LBS feet. running back to a
thirty-foot alley in the rear. A fifteen
foot alley runs parallel to one side. These
alleys will be available for heavy hauling
to and from the forge shops and in con-
veying lumber and material to the train
ing school.
The cost of the site will be SIS, 5,19S.50,
or 90 cents a square foot, which is less
than half the price paid for the site of
the Manual Training High School for
| white scholars TO be erected at cost of
$780, coo. at the southeast corner of
seventh street ana fHcue aNenut.
The Commissioners are gratified over their
bargain. so cents a foot being regarded
as below the average price of property in
that vicinity. The offer was. moreover.
the lowest which was rendered the Com
missioners, although many real estate
men and property owners wanted to sell
large sites in all parts of the city.
The new training school will be located
in the northwest section of the city, not
sIz ra1A fat, Cnho IL nc
not absolutely necessary that it should
be located near the High School, and be-
fore making the selection the Commission
ers asked G. +. T. Cook, Superintendent
of the Colored Schools, TO inform them in
this regard. He replied that there was
no such necessity. Ii was found that the
Colored High School was nearer to the
center of population and certainly nearer
most of the coiored schools in the Dis
trict and this was an important consider
alton in the selection of the Street
property.
cluster of colored schools is located in
the territory near the intersection of New
Jersey Avenue and NJ Streets northwest.
Among these schools are the John F. Cook,
in o Street. between Fourth and Fifth
! Streets, northwest: the BanneEer. in Third
Street, between X and L Streets, north
west; the Jones, at First and L Streets
North Capitol and First Streets, north
west. and the Patterson, in Vermont Ave-
nue., near Street, northwest. The Col
oTed High School is in NJ Street, east of
New Jersey Avenue.
The new manual training school will be
about equally distant from the most west
erly and most easterly of the colored
schools in the city and about the same dis
tance from the southern section which will
l s1....-
and the thickly populated section in its
vicinity areeto the north and as the city
will grow toward the north the new school
will finally be near the centre of the col
cred school population. The consensus OF
opinion was in favor OF the northwest site,
but there was also strong opposition.
A number of colored men living in north
east and southeast Washington thought the
school should be located on Capitol Hill,
and waged an active campaign among the
colored people Of that section OF the city
for the purpose Of having site chosen in
the vicinity OF Stanton Square. Two per-
sons offered property in that neighborhcoi
and every effort was eXerted to secure the
selection of one of these sites. A volum-
nous petition was addressed to the Commits
| sioners and endorsed by prominent Re-
publican Senator but the Commissioners
| could not see the pertinence of the argu-
ments which were made in behalf of the
Capitol Hill site.
deadlock occurred and it was impossi-
bic to reach decision. This was early
last week. More conferences were then
held, the sites visited again, or at least
some of them. plats and maps of the city
| studied, and a decision reached yesterday,
when the Commissioners directed DR.. Will
| liam Tindall, Secretary to the Board. TO
| issue an order accepting the offer of C. II.
| Fickling on condition that good and un-
| encumbered title be given 10 the land
Having chosen the site the Commits
sioners will now turn their attention to
| the selection of sites for several other
schools and then arrange for plans for the
training school. 1t is desirable that it be
| begun Immediately