African American Library at the Gregory School, Research library branch in Fourth Ward, Houston, US.

The African American Library at the Gregory School occupies a restored brick building from 1926 located in the Fourth Ward. The two-story structure houses collections focused on Black history and provides spaces for educational programs and community gatherings.

The Freedmen's Bureau opened schools in Freedmen's Town, and by 1872 most pupils and teachers moved to the state-run Gregory Institute, named after Edgar M. Gregory, a Union army officer and assistant commissioner of the Texas Freedmen's Bureau. It opened in 1872 as Houston's first school for freed people and joined the public school system by 1876. The present white-brick building, about 20,000 square feet, opened in 1926; the school closed in 1980 and the renovated building reopened as a library in December 2009.

The library displays photographs, manuscripts, and recordings that document the experiences of Black people in Houston. Visitors can explore these materials and learn about the local community's story through items on display.

Visitors can explore the collections, attend events, and access digital resources that are regularly updated. Checking hours and available programs beforehand will help you make the most of your visit.

The library's renovation, begun in 2008, removed, restored and reinstalled the school's original windows, and the north wall received a set of matching bricks so the facade would match its 1926 appearance. The building stood vacant from 1980, with broken windows, a leaking roof and pigeons inside, before reopening as a library in December 2009.