Polk Street Schools

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Polk Street Schools in Potter County. Now settle in, because this one block of Amarillo packed more history into a hundred years than most streets see in a thousand. We're talkin' schools built, schools renamed, schools razed, a fire, a cafeteria wedged into a u-shape, and horses tied up out back.

All on Polk Street. Let's ride through it. The first school opened in 1900, right there bounded by Polk, Tyler, 12th and 13th Streets.

They called it the Red Brick School House, and it held space for 284 students. Now here's a detail that'll stop you cold if you've only ever known city schools: the property also had sheds. For horses and donkeys.

Belonging to students coming in from the ranches. That's the Amarillo of 1900 for you, where your kid might hitch a donkey before first bell. By 1911, a brick building was completed just south of that Red Brick School, down at 1300 Polk Street, and it was named Amarillo High School.

Two schools now, side by side. But the Red Brick School's days were numbered. In 1921, it was razed to make room for a new, larger Amarillo High School, which opened the following year.

The old 1300 Polk Street building didn't disappear, though. It became Central Junior High School, and later it was renamed Elizabeth Nixson Junior High School, in honor of a former principal. Now the new Amarillo High School had a u-shape design, and for a while there was just open air in that u.

In 1927, they filled that empty space with a cafeteria, a gymnasium, and an auditorium. Additions kept coming, in 1951 and again in 1952. Then 1964 arrived, and Nixson Junior High School was razed.

Other educational facilities were built on that site. Three years later, Amarillo High School integrated, and the marker is clear on this point: it happened without major incident. Then came 1970.

A fire destroyed the main building's third floor and the auditorium, and damaged the rest of the structure. Students moved into whatever usable rooms remained and spilled over into nearby churches while the community figured out what came next. What came next was a decision to rebuild the high school on Danbury Street.

The school board sold the block to Amarillo College, and the building at 1200 Polk was razed. One block. A century of chalk dust and horse sheds and brick and fire and change.

And yet the marker points out that other structures from Nixson Junior High and Amarillo High School are still standing and still used today. The buildings on Polk Street may no longer serve primary and secondary education, but the legacy of those schools, the marker says, lives in the contributions of former students across the community, the state, and the nation. That's a lot of horses tied up on the way to something lasting.

What the marker says

During the 20th century, Polk Street was home to three public schools. The first opened in 1900 to meet the needs of the rapidly-growing Amarillo community. Bounded by Polk, Tyler, 12th and 13th Streets, the Red Brick School house supplied space for 284 students; the property also had sheds for the horses and donkeys belonging to students coming from ranches. In 1911, a brick building was completed south of the Red Brick School at 1300 Polk Street; it was named Amarillo High School. In 1921, the Red Brick School was razed to make room for a new, larger Amarillo High School, which opened the next year. The 1300 Polk Street building became Central Junior High School; it was later renamed Elizabeth Nixson Junior High School in honor of a former principal. In 1927, the empty space in Amarillo High School’s u-shape design was filled with a cafeteria, gymnasium and auditorium. Further additions were made in 1951 and 1952. In 1964, Nixson Junior High School was razed; other educational facilities were built on the site. Three years later, Amarillo High School integrated without major incident. A 1970 fire destroyed the main building’s third floor and the auditorium, and damaged the rest of the structure. Students attended classes in usable rooms and in nearby churches until it was decided to rebuild the high school on Danbury Street. The school board sold the block to Amarillo College, and the building at 1200 Polk was razed. Today, other structures from Nixson Junior High and Amarillo High School are still used. Although the former school buildings on Polk Street are no longer employed in primary and secondary education, the schools’ legacy lies in the vital contributions of the former students in the community, state and nation.