Our building holds historical architectural, educational, and social significance and had many uses before it became home to Military Road Early Learning Center in 2021.
- 1864: The original Military Road School, a two-room frame school, was built and named for its location on a road used to transport soldiers and materials to nearby Fort Stevens during the Civil War. It was one of the first schools to open for Black children after authorization from Congress in 1862.
- 1911: Municipal Architect Snowden Ashford designed the current brick building in Italian Renaissance style.
- 1912: Cleveland Skinker and Wilbur R. Garrett completed construction of the current brick building. For many years, it was the only school available to Black students in Washington, DC, and it served as a symbolic social and community center for local residents. It closed in 1954, when the Brown vs. Board of Education decision desegregated public schools.
- 1954-1970s: The building housed a special education program for students with high support needs.
- 1998: The building was added to the DC Inventory of Historic Sites by the Historic Preservation Review Office of Washington, DC.
- 2003: The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior – National Park Services.
- 2006: Latin American Montessori Bilingual (LAMB) Charter School moved into the previously vacant building.
- 2008-2009: Forrester Construction renovated the original building and constructed a large addition.
- 2021: The building became home to Military Road Early Learning Center.
For more information about our building’s historical significance, please visit these websites: