Booker T. Washington Middle SchoolX

Thurgood Marshall and Cab Calloway are two of the more famous graduates who once walked the halls of Booker T. Washington Middle School. The school has a rich history spanning over a century and is located in a historic building that is one of only two buildings in Baltimore designated a National Landmark. The school had seen a dramatic decline over the last forty years and had fallen into a considerable state of disrepair and neglect. After years of poor academic performance, the school was designated a Turnaround School and received federal funding for improvements as well as QZAB funding for media center renovations. The first transformative project at the school was the renovation of the media center. The prior renovation in the early eighties had dropped an 8’ ceiling in the high volumed space to accommodate a sprinkler system and two by four fluorescent fixtures. The top panels of the windows were concealed under the new ceiling and the glazing had been replaced by yellowed lexan. The design replaced the windows, restored the original ceiling height and carefully integrated new lighting and mechanical systems. The project was designed to create a collegiate atmosphere.