Park View School, école primaire de Washington
Park View School is a historic school building in Washington, D.C., constructed in 1916 in Gothic Revival style. The structure features brick and stone walls, pointed arches, large windows, ornamental stonework, and notably includes an auditorium with wooden roof trusses, which was unusual for an elementary school at the time.
The building was designed by architect Snowden Ashford in 1916 and was the first elementary school in the city to have its own auditorium. After desegregation in 1949, the school transitioned from serving only white students to Black students, mirroring broader neighborhood changes.
The school has served as a gathering place for neighborhood children across different generations and backgrounds. The Park View name itself comes from the nearby grounds of the Soldiers' Home, which shaped how residents connected to this part of the city.
The building sits on Warder Street in the Park View neighborhood and is easily accessible on foot. The school operates on weekdays, so the best time to view it is from the outside or during special community events when it may be open to visitors.
The auditorium with its wooden roof trusses was unusual for an elementary school when built and showed the building was designed for long-term use and larger gatherings. In the 1920s, the school pioneered the platoon system, an innovative teaching model that made more efficient use of classroom space.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
