Elyton Elementary School
| Elyton Elementary School | |
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Birmingham City Schools |
| Years | 1908–2005 |
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| Location | 6 Tuscaloosa Avenue Southwest, (map) Arlington-West End |
| Grades | K-5 |
| Principal | ? |
| Enrollment | ? (?) |
| Colors | |
| Mascot | |
| Website | |
Elyton Elementary School was an elementary school in the Birmingham Public School System that fed into Center Street Middle School. Elyton occupied two buildings in a residential area at 6 Tuscaloosa Avenue SW adjoining Center Street North in the heart of the former Elyton community, now the Arlington-West End neighborhood of the West End community.
The school was constructed in 1908 to designs by David O. Whilldin. It was built atop the site of the first Jefferson County Courthouse, in what was at the time the town of Elyton. From its initial construction through its closure in 2003, this served as an elementary school for the local residents.
Recent proposals
In 2005, Jefferson County Commissioner Shelia Smoot proposed a $7 million conversion of the former school into senior housing. The county would have contributed $500,000 with the remainder being financed through HUD grants. However, the project stalled after it was discovered that the city of Birmingham owned the school and not the school system. Although the project gained the support of both county commissioners and the city council, a deal could not be reached with the city to purchase the property, in effect killing the project.
The structure continues to deteriorate as the city and school board have still not been able to reach a consensus as to how to move forward with the property. Adjacent open space has been improved by the Arlington-West End neighborhood association with help from Allstate Insurance. The resulting Elyton Park won a national award from Neighborhoods USA.
Reference
- Bryant, Joseph (July 24, 2006) "Historic Elyton School prey for vandals, neglect". Birmingham News.