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Washington Education Center (Pittsburgh)

Coordinates: 40°28′10″N 79°57′46″W / 40.4695°N 79.9628°W / 40.4695; -79.9628
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Washington Education Center
Address
Map
169 40th St.

,
15216

Information
TypePublic
EstablishedSeptember 1, 1937[1]
Closed2006
School districtPittsburgh Public Schools
Grades9–12
Website40°28′10″N 79°57′46″W / 40.4695°N 79.9628°W / 40.4695; -79.9628
Washington Vocational School
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1908
ArchitectCharles W. Bier, Marion M. Steen
Architectural styleLate Victorian, Art Deco
Part ofLawrenceville Historic District[3] (ID100004020)
MPSPittsburgh Public Schools TR
NRHP reference No.86002715[2]
Significant dates
Designated NRHPSeptember 30, 1986
Designated CPJuly 8, 2019
Designated PHLF2002[4]

Washington Education Center is a former vocational school in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Lawrenceville at 40th Street and Eden Way.

Washington Polytechnic Academy was located on the former site of Washington Elementary School, which had a history spanning from 1868 until 1935. Originally named Washington Number One, the school was named in honor of George Washington's crossing of the Allegheny River with Christopher Gist. A marker on the school notes the event. A structure was constructed on the site in 1908 and in 1936 was expanded to form the Washington Trade School. The Charles W. Bier designed structure opened on September 1, 1937.[1] From 1937 until the early 21st century it served as a public vocational school[5] capable of accommodating 900 students and included a testing laboratory, bricklaying shop, print shop, library, two drafting rooms, blue print shop, mimeograph room, and an auditorium with a seating capacity of 384.

On February 2, 1972 Julie Nixon Eisenhower visited the school during her fathers re-election campaign to discuss busing.[6] In May 1972, an international contingent of students visited the center from Brazil, Thailand, South Korea, Venezuela, Chile, Peru, Afghanistan, and Libya.[7]

The school building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.[2] The building was used as a school until 2006 and later sold with plans to be converted to a hotel.[8] It opened in 2019 as the TRYP by Wyndham Pittsburgh/Lawrenceville, with 108 guest rooms and two restaurants.[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b http://images.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/i/image/image-idx?view=entry;cc=hpichswp;entryid=x-msp117.b017.f10.i04. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  3. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Lawrenceville Historic District" (PDF). City of Pittsburgh. National Park Service. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  4. ^ Historic Landmark Plaques 1968-2009 (PDF). Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. 2010. Retrieved 2011-07-28.
  5. ^ "lhs15201.org". www.lhs15201.org. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
  6. ^ "The Pittsburgh Press - Google News Archive Search".
  7. ^ images.library.pitt.edu http://images.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/i/image/image-idx?view=entry;cc=hpichswp;entryid=x-msp117.b007.f05.i04. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ^ Schooley, Tim (June 5, 2015). "New buyer looking at Lawrenceville school for hotel conversion". Pittsburgh Business Times. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  9. ^ Pitz, Marylynne (June 5, 2019). "Vocation to vacation: How a trade school became a TRYP hotel". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
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