This former School Building in TX was closed in 1983

Old Lyford High School, Lyford Texas

Date added: April 21, 2024

Categories:
Texas
School

Front or south side with close view of windows in southeast corner, looking northwest (1984)

Do you have an update on the current status of this structure? Please tell us about it in the comments below.

Being the first building erected solely for use as a high school in Willacy County, the Old Lyford High School was constructed in 1923 according to designs prepared by the San Antonio architectural firm of Smith & Kelly. The students were originally drawn from several small neighboring communities, and the construction of the school took place after the near-unanimous passage of a bond election to raise the needed funds. The structure served its original function until superseded by a new high school in 1958.

Willacy County was created in 1911 and is situated just to the north of the Rio Grande and above Cameron County. During the early years of the county's history, it was threatened by the incursions of Mexican bandits crossing the nearby international boundary. The promulgation of the "Plan de San Diego," in February of 1915, called for the seizure of those lands in Texas south of the Nueces River and their incorporation into Mexico. Even though the plan was never acted upon, the region could almost be considered a frontier area in terms of the security of its residents.

The population growth which had taken place in the county by 1922, necessitated the construction of a permanent high school building, the first in the young county's history. The Lyford Board of Trustees called for a bond issue election to be held on June 22^nd, 1922, to construct and equip a public free school building of other than wooden material. The cost of the proposed facility was $35,000.

The contract for the construction of the school building was given to Roland Moore of Donna, Texas, on April 1^st, 1923, and the design of the new school building was prepared by the architectural firm of Smith and Kelly of San Antonio, and was accepted by the Lyford Board of Trustees on January 6^th, 1923. The structure was formally opened on February 29^th, 1924, with the dedication ceremonies presided over by the Raymondville Lodge No. 1204, A.F. & A.M., better known locally as the Masons.

The student body was drawn from the communities surrounding Lyford, including Sebastian, Turner Tract, and Stockholm. The popularity of the school construction project is attested to by the fact that the bond issue election passed by the lopsided vote of 64 in favor and 4 opposed. Students were brought to the school daily by trucks, the only vehicles that could successfully negotiate the dirt roads of the county.

The auditorium of the Old Lyford High School was the scene of all high school graduation ceremonies from 1924 until 1958, when the auditorium of the new high school assumed that role. With the construction of the new building, the Old Lyford High School building became Lyford Junior High, a function it maintained until 1983, when yet another school building was erected and the original high school was closed.

The Old Lyford High School has been secured against vandalism and further weather damage by the boarding up of all window openings. The Lyford Consolidated Independent School District proposed the demolition of the structure in 1982 and 1983, but was dissuaded from that course of action by the demonstrations of public support for the retention of the building, which had served to educate so many residents of the community. Present plans call for the replacement of the roof in 1985, with future work to continue on the interior. The building will probably contain a few classrooms and administrative offices, as well as space devoted to a museum display of historical documents that have been collected by the school's librarian. Thus rehabilitated, the building will continue to serve the educational needs of the county for years to come.

Building Description

The Old Lyford High School building is a one-story, T-plan structure built of tawny brick with cast-stone trim. Ornamentation is confined to the south elevation where the main entry is the centerpiece of the five-bay facade. The building was designed to contain five classrooms and an auditorium, which was later partitioned off to form five classrooms and a teachers' lounge.

Constructed in 1923 as the first high school building in Willacy County, the Old Lyford High School is located slightly to the west of the city reservoir on flat land landscaped with palm and elm trees. The structure, which is one story high, faces south. The main elevation measures approximately 129 feet long, with the wing extending to the north measuring 131 feet from the front door to the rear wall. The plan of the structure is that of a T, with the head of the T containing the original five classrooms and the north wing containing the original auditorium.

The south elevation is a five-part composition, with the main entrance forming the center bay. The recessed entranceway is framed by cast-stone detailing that includes an ornamental entablature on scroll brackets, above which is carved the name "Lyford High School." The two inner, flanking bays contain three windows fitted with 2-over-3 double-hung sash. The end bays of the south elevation project forward, as does the entry bay. These bays are fitted with large window bays containing five window units using the 2-over3 pattern noted on the inner windows. These large window bays are spanned by a massive cast-stone lintel.

The east and west elevations of the classroom block are identical, with a centrally positioned doorway set in a monumental brick enframement. A large window bay containing five window-sash units is placed to the north of these two doorways. The rear wing of the building is less ornamented than the section just described, with none of the cast stone or modeled brickwork noted. Each side of the north wing is fitted with three doors and five windows.

The interior of the building, although suffering from leaks in the roof, still retains much of its original plan and detailing. The south-facing mass of the building is bisected by a hallway, which terminates at the doorways on the east and west elevations. Student lockers are built into the walls of this corridor, the doors into the classrooms are fitted with transoms, and ventilation windows open from the classrooms into the hall. The north wing, which originally housed the auditorium, was remodeled in 1958 to house five classrooms and a teachers' lounge. The structure was originally fitted with wooden windows which were removed in a 1949 remodeling and replaced with steel-frame windows. It should be noted, however, that the new windows duplicated the design of the originals. The metal canopies that flank the north wing are recent additions to the structure, but the installation of these items did not result in the loss of any significant original building fabric.