Wade School was built in 1929, named for Festus J. Wade, a prominent St. Louis banker. It was designed by famed architect Robert Milligan. In 1995, it was renamed the Meda P. Washington Education Center. It's on Vandeventer, in between Shaw and Kingshighway.
This building is in my neighborhood, and in an alternate universe—one in which it was still used as an elementary school, and in which every school in the district was a solid educational environment—it would be where my kids go to school. They could walk there in about ten minutes.
I'm not really complaining. The SLPS school that my daughter attends is only a five-minute drive from our house, and it's a great place.
But Meda P. Washington, nee Wade, does have a place in my heart. My grandma worked here as a school secretary decades ago. And I taught my wife to drive a stick shift in the parking lot.
It's a handsome building, part of St. Louis's rich heritage of educational architecture, yet also a reminder of the often sundered connection between our built environment and our lives in this city.
12 comments:
I'm an older lady who Googled Festus J Wade School, and found your site. I moved away from Saint Louis in 1968 and again in 1986. Thank you for these images.
Thanks for taking time to post these photos and info about the school where I completed Grades 5-8 (1960-1964). At that time those of us who had been accepted into the St. Louis Public Schools' unique honors program (classified as "gifted" in K-8 and "Track IA" in 9-12) attended Wade and then Cleveland High. Though I left St. Louis after graduating as a National Merit Scholar in 1968, the education I received there continues to serve me well. It's heartbreaking to see how the public school system has declined in my hometown.
I was accepted into the SLPS “Gifted” program in 1973 and attended Wade School for 5-7th grades. For the ‘76-‘77 until Busch closed for asbestos removal, the program schools were consolidated. Students from Wade and Mallincrodt were bussed to Busch on Clifton. I went on to Southwest High School.
I went to Wade Elementary in 1-3 grades and walked to school
from Shenandoah. Memories are sketchy and a friend
recently said she went to Wade and I remember
I had too. We moved to Overland during my 3
Grade year and I completed Highshool in The Ritenour
School district in ‘56. I moved away from the City
In 1961 and have lived in Little Rock AR since
1964. I have 2 grandchildren in the St. Louis
area and my next trip I will visit the location to
refresh my memory. I am 79 years old. Nan
(Maples) Renaud.
I was in the last graduating class (1976) of the gifted program before Wade became a magnet school. I lived on Flora Place so it was a long walk to and from school every day. Many of my classmates went on to become very successful in their fields - an author, a couple of Boston college professors, an actress on Broadway ("Rent") and on cable TV. I'm just a small-town journalist. I liked that old building while attending there and made sure to find out who Festus J. Wade was (a banker in the olden days). Many happy memories there. Most of my classmates went on to Southwestern High School.
Feldman
I went to Wade school from 1967 to 1972 - I was 9 when I first started going to - graduated 8th grade ... I loved Wade - my principal was Ms. Ware ... my 8th grade teacher was DC Thompson --- we used the school yard for many baseball games & basket ball games - best time of my life - I was trying to find some people who went there during my time - if you did - let me know- wonderful memories - many times I wish I could go back to those times -
P. Snodgrass
I went to Wade from 1970-72, 5th grade teacher was Miss Albrecht. It was 2 of my best years which I mention fondly to this day. The gifted program allowed serious diversity and I felt immediately accepted as the lone hispanic in the class. I knew David Francis, Jim Dunevant, Freddy Morris, Darryl Knox, Michael Webster (Webee), Michael "peanuthead" Owens, Michael Booker, Carolyn Davis, Cheryl Chandler, Lana Johnson, ? Cheryl Landis, Robert Shepherd. I saw a few of them at mizzou. Lana is an attorney, Webster was in engineering at the time. I connected with Jim Dunevant a few years ago. Send comments to tonyiommisr@hotmail.com
Do you know where I can find more information about the Wade School's history? Festus Wade was was the brother of my great great grandmother.
I, too, was accepted into the “Gifted” program during 1973 and attended Wade School for 5-7th grades.
I went to Wade from K through middle of grade 4 when I moved to Lincoln, Nebraska. I lived at 4445 Russell and walked to school.I have great memories of the area and to think we had the (then called Shan’s Garden) Missouri Botanical as a great place for moms to Al Keith their kids and enjoy the various plants for free back in the 40’s and early 50’s. We moved in 1954.
I left Sherman School on Flad, east of The Garden for fifth through eighth in the Gifted program at Wade. It was a time in my life I will always cherish. We were the class of '69. We were able to choose our HS from Cleveland, Roosevelt, and SW. There are about a dozen of us who have maintained contact over the years, even having the occassional reunion. Our fifth grade teacher was the very nurturing, Mrs. Stockman who was out sick for some time during which we had a permanant sub who wrote some of the music for the opening of the arch. We sang at the ceremony. Sixth grade was Gloria Griffero who missed her calling as a nun, complete with ruler. Seventh grade was the ever inspiring Ilsa Simpson who thought we hung the moon. For eighth we moved on to Mrs. McDonald whom some of us terrorized to the best of our gifted ability. Our six foot tall principal Ms Ware could weild a crickett mallet as well as any man. Our custodian, Joe Bartola, treated us as if we atually meant something to him. And we cared right back! We were quite the cohort despite our many surface differences. Those years at Festus J. Wade were halcyon days that left deep memories never to be equalled.
I attended Wade IGE when it was a magnet school.If my memory serves me well,I went here for my 4th and 5th grade years.I don't really remember any teachers there.At the time,I was all about friends.My wife and I took a trip to St.Louis a couple years ago.It had been 30 years since I and my mother left.I was astonished to see that,though all three schools I had attended were all still standing,none were any longer functional.Wade was the the only one that was still recognizable,though very weathered and neglected.The other two had been turned into apartment complexes.one low-income,the other standard apartments.Fact is,there was very little of the city,of which I lived in from 1980-1989,that was anything like it was back then.I lived on Jefferson,near Cherokee.The visit was pretty depressing,but my heart still yearns for those days.
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