DISD Trustee Says Old Adamson High School Will ‘Remain’
This afternoon, at a DISD high school naming ceremony honoring his father, DISD district 7 school board trustee Jerome Garza said Adamson High School would not be torn down once construction of the new Adamson High School was completed.
“Right now the administration is exploring options for the old building. I have advocated that we turn it into a training center to bring in teachers. The old school is going to remain and we are trying to look for new uses for it,” Garza said.
Glenn Straus, president of the Adamson Building Preservation Committee, said he had heard rumors that DISD might preserve the campus, but was shocked by Garza’s comments.
“Well, that’s interesting. The superintendent, Hinojosa, told staff at Adamson last week,” Straus said. “That got passed on to us and I don’t quite believe it. It’s wonderful. It’s great if it’s true.”
Straus and the preservation committee had previously been told by DISD that plans for the new high school would include demolition of the old campus.
As for the possible sale of Oak Cliff Christian Church, Garza called it “a great opportunity for both sides.” He added that the site of the 104-year-old church would not have been converted to tennis courts — as the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League claimed during court hearings — but into athletic fields.
“I thought it was a great compromise. We came forward saying, ‘We put in X number of dollars. We’re not looking for any kind of profit. You give us what we put into it and it’s yours,’” Garza said.
If the church is sold, DISD would likely purchase more property east of the proposed school’s location for athletic fields, Garza said.
UPDATE 9:07 p.m. : John McCall Jr., attorney and past president of the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League, had this to add via e-mail:
“We had been told at mediation that only the original older part would remain for some kind of auxillary facility. This mirrors what we were told. Not sure how large the OLD Adamson is but that is all that I believe will stand.”
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