Wiley G. Clarkson, Architect

Corsicana:  June 1908 to Dec. 1911

Fort Worth: Jan. 1912 to May 5, 1952

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Fort Worth Schools

Texas Christian University Mary Couts Burnett Library

(Shelf 2 #337)

The Mary Couts Brunett library was designed by Clarkson and funded by Mary Couts Burnett.   Over the years, the library has been added to and expanded and the only original part of the library that can actually be seen from outside building is the reading room.  The original windows of the reading room being the only remaining indication of the original building. 

Texas Christian University Stadium

Drawer 2 Job 78

 Clarkson lists the job as: "Texas Christian University, Bleachers".

 

 

North Side High School

1937 Professional Record

The North Side High School was completed and opened in Sept. 1937.  The photo below was made by W. D. Smith, who became Fort Worth's leading architectural photographer.  This view of the school is no longer available as there have been many additions to the school that basically surround the school which now serves over 1600 students.  This photo was a wall photo Clarkson's office.

 

 

 

 

Arlington Heights High School

5100 El Campo Avenue

(Hi Mount ISD)  (Shelf 1 399 and Shelf 3 #288)

It was actually the second school building on this piece of property. It was commissioned by the Arlington Heights School Board around 1922 and, after completion, was in use for only three years. When Arlington Heights School District merged with Fort Worth School District,  High School was eventually moved to the new Arlington Heights High School.  The building saw only intermittent use until it was turned into a special education school. The FWISD remodeled the interior keeping it as original as possible.  The original school building on the east end of the property is still standing and is attached to the newer building by a wing.

The Hi Mount School

4237 Lafayette Avenue

(Hi Mount ISD) (Shelf 1 #390)

Hi Mount was built in 1922 as an elementary school for the Arlington Heights I.S.D.  After North Hi Mount Elementary and South Hi Mount Elementary were built, it became known as Thomas Place Elementary.  It was used for many years after that.  The City of Fort Worth  eventually took over control of the building and turned it into a Community Center.

 

W. C. Stripling Jr High (middle) School

2100 Clover Lane

Numerous Sources

IIt is located on Clover Lane only a couple of blocks from the old Hi Mount School.

J. P. Elder Middle School 

(old North Side Jr. High)

 709 NW 21st Street, Fort Worth

Alice B. Carlson Elementary 

 (Shelf 1 #427)

3320 West Cantey St.

In 1926, Alice E. Carlson Elementary was named in honor of the first woman who served on the school board. It originally opened as a 4-room school in 1926. The 1-story polychrome brown brick building was designed by Wiley G. Clarkson and constructed by A. J. Howard in a Mission Revival-influenced style.

E. M. Daggett Elementary School

  (letter)

Clarkson designed the south building, which is two stories with a full basement. It opened in 1926 and was built by K.M.. Muse. This building faces Page Street and features a gabled and hipped roof covered in red clay tile with yellow brick and cast stone trim. This south building is "H" shaped in plan. 

Polytechnic High School

on Nashville Avenue between Ave. D and Ave. E

The high school of 1922 was located on Nashville Ave.  In 1936, a new and much larger high school building was constructed on Conner Ave. and the 1922 building became an elementary school.  When the elementary school was moved to a new building a few years later, the 1922 school became vacant and was later torn down.  The corner stone from the 1922 building is on display in the 1936 high school building, which is still being used today as the Polytechnic High School.  You can read more history about this school on the Hometown by Handlebar, a Fort Worth blog by Mike Nichols.

Photograph of original corner stone now on display in the present high school building.

photo by Mike Nichols of Hometown by Handlebar

The Charles E. Nash Elementary

  401 Samuels Ave.

Lilly B. Clayton Elementary

  2000 Park Place 

The first building that was designed and built opened in 1922.  In 1924, an addition was added

to the original building that was also designed by Wiley G. Clarkson.

Sam Rosen Elementary

  2613 Roosevelt Avenue

William James Middle School

  1101 Nashville

This school is very similar to the W. C. Stripling Jr. High School

Central High School Rear Wing and Auditorium

This school was originally built in 1917.  In 1926-27, a sympathetic rear wing and auditorium were designed by Wiley G. Clarkson and Company and built by Harry B. Friedman Construction Company.  It was renamed R. L. Pashal High School.  When the newer R. L Paschal High School was built around the McLean Jr. High, the building was eventually converted into the Green B. Trimble Technical High School. 

Crestwood Elementary School

201 N. Bailey

West Van Zandt High School

1200 University Drive

Shelf 3  Job 280

The original school was called the the West Side High School.  The Van Zandt ISD originally ordered this school built as a high school and Clarkson called it the Van Zandt High in references he made to it in his papers creating some confusion as Fort Worth ISD also had a school named Van Zandt. It was used as a high school for only one year when Van Zandt ISD became a part of the Fort Worth ISD.  The Fort Worth ISD re-purposed the school as an elementary school and re-named it to West Van Zandt Elementary School.  The FWISD eventually built their Administration Building behind the school to the west of the school building.  The school was eventually closed in 1964.  Both buildings were eventually torn down and the vacant land turned into a public park for the cultural district. 

McLean Jr. High School/Paschal High School

1947 Professional Record

 William Pickney McLean Junior High School was designed and constructed in 1934 through 1935.  It opened on January 28, 1936.  The school was located at the corner of Forest Park and Berry Street, the present sight of R.L. Paschal High School.  In 1954, it moved to it's present location and the original building became the core building for R. L. Paschal High School.  Some of the original building walls are still visible inside the vastly expanded building.  The photo below was one of Clarkson's office wall photos.  It was taken by W. D. Smith, a commercial photographer who was in business for many years in Fort Worth and was probably made during the 1940's.  He started using W.D. Smith shortly after W.D. opened his commercial photography studio in Fort Worth.  Many of the older B&W photos made for Clarkson were made by this very fine photographer .

 

 

Fort Worth ISD Schools designed by Wiley Clarkson

This list is not a complete listing of the school my grandfather designed.  It is based largely on multiple sources.  However, most were found on stored documents in my mother's records.

 

Arlington Heights High (High Mount ISD)

                became Boulevard Heights School                     

Alice Carlson Elementary   presently in use

Carroll Peak School    demolished in 1988 and rebuilt

Central High School   South wing and Auditorium.

                Became R. L. Paschal High School, then Green B. Trimble

                Technical High School

Charles E. Nash Elementary  presently in use

Crestwood Elementary  presently in use

D. McRae School   Torn down in 1989 and rebuilt

de Zavala (Eighth Ward School)  presently in use

Denver Avenue School    addition to building in 1927

Diamond Hill School  No details available

E. M. Daggett Elementary  addition of two story wing in 1927.

                Still in use

Fort Worth Negro Ward School  demolished

George Clarke School (1926 addition) Still in use

Handley High School    (no information)                                

Hubbard Heights Elementary (still i use)

Hi Mount School   built circa 1922 for Hi Mount ISD.

                Building is now a City Park Community Center

Jennings Ave. School (original design by Waller and Field) probably additions

or modifications to the building.  Became Fort Worth High School.

J. P. Elder Middle School still in use

John McCLean Jr. High designed in 1934 and shows and amount of $178,216.00.

It was eventually converted into R. L. Paschal High School with the

addition of additional buildings surrounding the original building.

Mistletoe Heights School/Lily B. Clayton Elementary Still in use

Ninth Ward School    torn down

North Fort Worth Jr. High (no information)

North Side Jr High/J. P. Elder Middle School   Still in use

North Side High School   Still in Use 

Oak Lawn School    addition in 1927? 

Oakhurst School  built in 1927, still in use

                    additions designed in 1952 

Paschal High School  Original school was John McClean Jr High.

            Present Paschal building was built around the original

            building by a different architect

Paschal High School Gymn Alterations

Old Poly High School  Torn down in 1930's and replaced

            with a larger building by a different architect

Polytechnic Jr. High School   (Polytechnic Ward School?) (no information)                        

Riverside Negro School  Still standing (No Information)

Sam Rosen Elementary still in use

South Fort Worth School/Richard J. Wilson Elementary: 

                designed an addition to this school in 1927

Vickery School  No details are available

Tenth Ward School  (no information)

Texas Christian University  Mary Couts Burnett Library

W. C. Stripling Jr. High  Still in use (my old Jr High School)

East Van Zandt  no details located.  May have been building additions before

1920, or could be a typo regarding the West Van Zandt High School

West Van Zandt High School/Elementary School

 Built in 1922, demolished in the late 20th century

Will Rogers Vocational School Facilities  built in 1940's.  no information available

William James Middle School   still in use