John Street School

Front inscription

In 1921, John Street School for local white children opened at this site. The six-room, one-story brick building fronted John St., later renamed Asbury Ave. It was designed by architects J.E. Sirrine & Co. and built by contractor J.S. Hamby. It was part of a wave of school construction to serve families in Greenville’s growing suburbs. It was originally a primary school with a grammar school building added in 1929.

Reverse inscription

The grammar school building fronted the corner of John and Hudson Sts. and included an auditorium, eight classrooms, and office space. It came to be known as “Big John” and the older primary building as “Little John.” The school’s first African American students enrolled in the mid-1960s. It was majority Black by the time of countywide imtegration in 1970. The school closed in 1971. Both buildings were later razed.