It was a long walk up the 18 steps leading to John Mc Donogh 19 Elementary School, on the morning of November 14, 1960. Leona Tate, Gail Etienne and Tessie Prevost desegregated an all-white school and made history in the lower 9th Ward. While Ruby Bridges, simultaneously made her solo entrance through the front doors of William Frantz Public School escorted by U.S. federal marshals. The 6-year-old first-graders were victims of name calling and hateful ridicule, similar to the Little Rock Nine who integrated Little Rock Central High School, three years earlier in Arkansas. The schools that they all attended are official or unofficial civil rights landmarks. And like most buildings in New Orleans, the schools have a rich story behind its façade.

Mc Donogh 19 was built because of the generosity of one man, John Mc Donogh. Mc Donogh is responsible for dozens of schools being built bearing his name. He was one of the first to have a school named after him while he was still alive. Prior to that, schools were named after the streets they were located on. Mc Donogh’s will was very specific and stated that his funds be used only for the construction and upkeep for schools educating the poor. The poor included black boys and girls, but because of racism and misappropriation of funds, monies were not used on their behalf initially. Later on, after lots of litigation and the fact that white parents removed their children from desegregated schools, turning not only the schools to all-white, but the neighborhood as well, his trust began to benefit black children from primary to secondary education. “The last dollars of Mc Donogh’s bequest were used sometime between 1997 and 1998,” according to Bill Norris, history instructor and professional tour guide. “His money lasted till the end of the 20th century, which is about 150 years.”

The school was renamed Louis D. Armstrong Elementary after New Orleans Parish School Board adopted a Slave Owner Policy in 1992. The policy states that any schools named after a person who owned slaves should bear a new name. That means that most New Orleans public schools removed the names of white historical figures. The schools replaced the old names with names that honored more prominent and influential black leaders. For instance, Mc Donogh 36 changed to Mahalia Jackson, Gayarre to Oretha Castle Haley and George Washington to Dr. Charles Drew Elementary School.

The Mc Donogh 19 that we see today is a re-construction, built in 1929 on St. Claude Ave. A wooden schoolhouse was originally constructed on September 15, 1884 on Tricou St. The more modern dwelling also includes a cafeteria added on in 1968.

Coincidentally, Frantz’s first day of school was also on September 15, but 46 years later in 1930. Seven years later a permanent edifice was built, at a cost of $148,000. An annex was added in the 1950s. The school was named after William Frantz, a long time member of the school board. He served on the original board that started when it only had five members at the beginning of World War I and he eventually became vice president.

William A. Freret, son of New Orleans’ tenth mayor, William Freret, was the architect for the original Mc Donogh 19 and E. A. Christy was the architect for Frantz and the permanent Mc Donogh 19. The two men were actually hired by the city to design a series of public schools. Freret had schools built in the outskirts of the city. The schools share similar style and charteristics. Each school has big classrooms, huge windows for light and ventilation, wide front entrances, lots of playground space, numerous staircases and are three-stories high. Freret designed most of the Mc Donogh schools. Christy is responsible for Warren Easton, Mc Main, Live Oak and Rabouin to name a few.

Tate, one of the Mc Donogh Three, remembers playing on stage in the auditorium or under the staircases during recess, chaperoned by her teacher, “We couldn’t go outside, we were not allowed,” Tate said. She also recalls having to bring her own lunch because there was no running water or cafeteria workers. “We were confined to the classroom on the first floor and we were unable see out of the windows because they were papered up.” Despite those conditions, Tate said that she never had a sense of fear.

In spite of their age, both schools were still open and being used to full capacity before Hurricane Katrina. However, after the storm the schools were under serious threat of being torn down. Frantz located at 3811 N. Galvez St. is set to be renovated under the Recovery School District Master Plan and like most schools opened after Katrina, will re-open as a charter school. Additionally, a resolution was recently filed thanks to the efforts of the Leona Tate Foundation for Change to save Mc Donogh 19 at 5909 St. Claude Ave. which will possibly be used as a community multi-purpose arts center.