Monroe Elementary School
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In a photo taken shortly after Monroe Elementary School opened
in 1924,
people can be seen walking to the new school. Note the
School Zone sign depicting a police officer.
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HUNTINGTON — Monroe Elementary
School was built in 1924
along the 1100 block of Monroe Avenue. Various improvements
were made in the old school over the years, including
a new kitchen addition in 1953.
At the end of the 1998 school year, the Cabell
County Board
of Education closed three elementary schools — Monroe,
Jefferson and Johnston — in West Huntington and
consolidated their students in the new $4.2
million Central City Elementary.
School officials said the move was essential in view
of the
three schools’ declining student populations and the
deteriorating condition of their old buildings,
which had been open for a combined
total of more than 230 years.
Speaking at a public hearing on the closure of
Monroe Elementary,
School Superintendent Richard Jefferson said the building “needs
constant repair, the roof needs replaced, there are cracks
in the walls, plaster is falling everywhere, the stairway
is inadequate and isn’t handicapped accessible.”
For several years now, the Southwestern Community
Action Council (SCAC) has operated a Head Start
preschool center at the former school building.
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Note: This Article and picture appeared in the Herald-Dispatch Newspaper on Aug. 24, 2021.
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