BALTIMORE — The Henry Highland Garnet Elementary School in Upton is where the late Justice Thurgood Marshall first went to school in Baltimore.
The renovations to the school bring back a sense of nostalgia for some people.
People like Harry Wright's father also went to the school.
“My father actually went to that school when he was young. and that was something that made me feel proud, actually seeing a little bit of his history, and like I said, I've had relatives all up and down this block, and before my father moved back up here with his family, we would come and visit everybody, and I used to play over there," says Harry Wright.
Renovations to the building are now complete. The Beloved Community Services Corporation was able to salvage a lot of the old elementary school.
Dr. Alvin Hathaway, who is in charge of the project, says the majority of the building is still the original parts and designs from when the school was opened.
“Imagine something designed and built in 1877 is now for us as a gift in 2024," says Dr. Hathaway, CEO of Beloved.
A lot of the building was preserved despite a large fire in 2016, which almost destroyed the entire thing.
“It was pretty scary; the building was in bad shape, but it’s been, I think, a labor of love for pastor and the entire team, and what you see here today is a result of those efforts over the past couple of years," says Eric Costello, District 11 Councilman.
The old school has a new name, Justice Thurgood Marshal Amenity Center, and a new purpose.
Universities, non-profits, and even the airport will rent out classrooms for educational programs.
The University of Maryland College Park will have a program called the Judge Alexander Williams Center for Education, Justice, and Ethics.
BWI airport will use a classroom for Project Takeoff, exposing people to aviation, airport management, and hospitality careers.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore, will have a mini-medical school for the community.
Other parts of the building will hold the history of the school, Thurgood Marshall, and other black leaders from Baltimore, like Elijah Cummings.
Harry Wright says having the school renovated with a new purpose makes him happy.
He says he is glad it's not just turning into a museum but a place where people can continue to learn.
“You gotta keep up with the times you know; when things change, everything else gotta change with it, and it’s good that it’s no longer a school but it morphed into something better," says Wright.
There are still some outdoor renovations happening around the building, including an outdoor courtyard.
Dr.Hathaway says everything is on schedule for the official grand opening, which will be this July 2nd, on Thurgood Marshall’s 116th birthday.
