Rosenwald Schools

The Louisiana Rosenwald Schools were schools for African-American students in mostly rural areas constructed between 1917 and 1932. They were an idea of Booker T. Washington and funded partially by grants from Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears & Roebuck, requiring matching funds by the local community. Typically, 1/3 was given by Rosenwald, 1/3 from the African-American community, and 1/3 was from the white community. After desegregation, some of these buildings were reused but many have been lost.

Rosenwald Schools were primarily located in rural areas, constructed of timber framing on short piers. Windows were numerous and often grouped together to provide for natural light and ventilation. The most common forms featured gable-ends. Some schools also included a teacher’s home, shop, privy, and well house. While most schools followed the designs of the Tuskegee Plans (1912-1920) or Community School Plans (1920-1928), some schools followed modified or vernacular designs.

Copies of these standardized school plans were distributed to school boards across the South. Over time, these original buildings may have been replaced with larger school buildings, while still retaining the “Rosenwald School” name. It is the goal of LTHP to identify the original school buildings partially funded by Julius Rosenwald from 1916 to 1932, and assess their condition. In some instances, schools were constructed based on the Rosenwald School model, but were not necessarily funded by Julius Rosenwald.

From approximately 2001 to 2017, the National Trust for Historic Preservation operated the Rosenwald Schools Initiative, led by Katherine Carey and Tracy Hayes, out of the Southeast Regional Office in Charleston. They provided invaluable resources, training and networking to identify and preserve Rosenwald Schools. Lowe’s Home Improvement was a major supporter of the effort and provided grants during that time to organizations for preservation of the structures. LTHP has mapped the location of 97% of Louisiana’s Rosenwald Schools since 2020. Out of the nearly 400 schools constructed, only 20 original Rosenwald School buildings, one teachers residence, and one library have been confirmed as still standing across the state.

We now need your help in determining how many Louisiana Rosenwald School buildings have been lost or still exist and need rehabilitation. If you have information about a Rosenwald School in your district, please send us a note. Thank you for your help!