Northern Arizona University: South Beaver School (former) - Flagstaff AZ

City:: Flagstaff, AZ
Site Type:: Schools, Education and Health, Colleges and Universities
New Deal Agencies:: Public Works Funding, Work Relief Programs, Public Works Administration (PWA), Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA)
Started:: 1934
Completed:: 1934
Quality of Information:: Very Good
Marked:: Yes
Site Survival:: Extant

Description

In 1934 the Flagstaff school board received a grant from the Public Works Administration (PWA) for a new elementary school on the south side of town. Additional funds came from the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA).

The South Beaver School was meant to serve the largely Mexican, Native and Black children of the neighborhood. The school board had declared its intentions to build the school since 1918 but never came up with the funds until the New Deal stepped in. The PWA under Harold Ickes was n0ted for funding minority schools across the country.

The school building was constructed with volcanic malpais, a stone commonly used for buildings in and around Flagstaff. It was completed in less than 90 days.

The South Beaver School bulding is now part of the University of Northern Arizona and serves as the home of its English Language Instruction Program, but the university has retained the “South Beaver School” name on the entrance sign.