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2 Your Town Port Allen: 90-year-old Port Allen Middle School on National Register of Historic Places
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PORT ALLEN - The current Port Allen Middle School has been a staple of education in Port Allen for nearly 90 years.
It has served as a high school, a middle school and will take on a new role next school year in furthering the education of Port Allen students.
The school was first built in 1937, with the architecture inspired by a nearby historic building across the Mississippi River.
"This is an Art Deco style, and it is based on the state capitol, so if you go visit the state capitol downtown and then come here, you're gonna see a lot of similarities with pelicans. The reliefs in the building and just the overall style with the marble on the walls," West Baton Rouge Superintendent Dr. Chandler Smith said.
When it opened, it was the high school for Port Allen, serving that purpose for decades. Former WBR Superintendent David Corona graduated from there in 1966.
"It was great, I mean, the four years in high school were probably four of the better years of my life, particularly in terms of education. We had fun, we had good teachers. We had a lot of pride in our school, as I hope they do now," Corona said.
The kids there may not be in high school like Corona was when he went there, but the students are still full of that same drive to succeed.
In the late 20th century, the school was put on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the school district has managed to keep it feeling historic all these years later.
"The main building, it's seven classes and a library, is the original campus. We did want to keep that historic touch, so the lockers that are built into the walls, the water fountains, they're recessed, and then of course all the marble and the terrazzo floors, we didn't change any of that," Smith said.
This is the final year it will serve as the middle school, as the current grades it serves, sixth through eighth, will head to Cohn next school year.
"Our theme this year is all in all year, so everyone's really excited about making that transition to a new building, new classroom, new state of all things, but we want to make sure that we make the last year at PAMS a memorable one," Port Allen Middle School Principal Dr. Lesley Green said.
Starting next school year, the building will serve as the WBR Early College and STEM Academy.
"It's actually returning back to its roots to serve high school students across the parish," Smith said.
Many people, like Corona, are happy to see the historic building still getting used nearly a century after its creation.
"It's good for the community; so many people relate to that school because it was their high school. They're now grandparents. It's part of the fabric of West Baton Rouge Parish," Corona said.
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