Sunset High School

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Sunset High School in Oak Cliff. Now settle in, because this place has got layers. Sunset High School.

The name itself sounds like something you'd see painted on a water tower at the edge of a sleepy Texas afternoon. And the school was, in fact, named for the residential district it sits in. That much the marker tells us straight.

What it also tells us is that this place has been servin' the Oak Cliff community for ninety years, and it holds the distinction of being the sixth oldest high school in Dallas. A city of Dallas landmark, officially. The whole thing started taking shape in the hands of two experienced architects, Roscoe Plimpton DeWitt and Mark Lemmon, working alongside contractor J.A.

Rife Construction Co. These were, the marker says, some of the best creative Texas minds of their time. And they built something meant to last.

The doors opened on September 21, 1925, with a facility designed to hold two thousand students. The first year, though, only fourteen hundred walked those halls. Plenty of room to grow into.

Now, fast forward into the teeth of the Great Depression, and here's where the story gets something you don't often see at a high school. The federal art project of the New Deal hired a man named Granville Bruce to paint two murals right there in the school library. Oil paintings.

Two of them. Depicting major moments in Texas settlement history. Think about that the next time you're returnin' a library book.

The school saw renovations and additions throughout the century, and it saw its students go to war. During World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, many Sunset students went overseas with the military. The newer entry to the school holds plaques honoring those students and faculty casualties of those conflicts.

That's not a footnote. That's the weight of a community written on a wall. But there's another side to Sunset, and that's the side that knows how to win.

The 1932 orchestra was the largest high school orchestra in all of Dallas at the time. The 1964 band marched in the San Antonio Battle of Flowers Parade. And then there's the Bison.

The Sunset Bison football team won the state championship in 1950 and the zone championship in 1960. The Sunset basketball team took the state championship in 1944. And across every sport combined, Sunset has been presented the Sanger Trophy for overall athletic excellence twelve times.

Twelve times. Architects who built it to last. A New Deal painter who put Texas history on the library wall.

Students who went to war and didn't all come home. Musicians, athletes, and ninety years of a community showing up. Sunset High School didn't just serve Oak Cliff.

It became part of what Oak Cliff is. And that, friend, is a school that earned every brick.

What the marker says

Designated as a city of Dallas landmark and the sixth oldest high school in Dallas, Sunset High School has served the Oak Cliff Community for 90 years. The buildings were imbued with the talent of some of the best creative Texas minds of their time. Experienced architects Roscoe Plimpton DeWitt and Mark Lemmon worked with the contractor J.A. Rife Construction Co. To design the first buildings that would serve as Sunset High School. The school was named for the residential district it is located in and opened on September 21, 1925. The facility was built to accommodate two thousand students, but the first year only saw fourteen hundred. During the Great Depression, the federal art project of the new deal hired Granville Bruce to paint two murals in the school library. These oil paintings depict major moments in Texas settlement history. There would be many renovations and additions to the buildings throughout the century. During World War II, Korea and Vietnam, many Sunset students went overseas with the military. The newer school entry holds plaques honoring those students and faculty casualties of these conflicts. The school's 1932 orchestra was the largest high school orchestra in Dallas at the time and the 1964 band participated in the San Antonio Battle of Flowers Parade. The Sunset Bison football team won the state championship in 1950 and the zone championship in 1960. The Sunset basketball team won the state championship in 1944. Sunset has also been presented the Sanger trophy for overall athletic excellence twelve times.