The Edward U. Taylor School in Boyds is being recommended for designation as an historic structure.
Members of the Montgomery County Planning Board unanimously agreed Thursday to ask Montgomery County Council to include the school in the county’s Master Plan for Historic Preservation.
“This school is a landmark in the history of the Black community in Boyds and served as a community anchor. The Taylor School represented the efforts of individuals like Edward U. Taylor and Black organizations, parents and teachers to obtain quality educational facilities for Black children in Montgomery County in the mid-20th century,” said Acting Planning Director Tanya Stern in a news release.
Taylor worked for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). His title was supervisor of colored schools for the county.
The former school, which was on White Ground Road, was built as an elementary school for Black students during a time when racial segregation was the law. The building was completed in 1952 and was added on to several times between 1954 and 1969, according to the planning department.
Now, the building houses the Taylor Science Center for the processing and storage of science kits for MCPS.
This video from Montgomery Planning includes remembrances by two former students and one former cafeteria worker.
This video from MCPSTV details the history of Taylor and the school.
Today, the Planning Board recommended that the Edward U. Taylor School site for historic designation by way of an amendment to the Master Plan of Historic Designation. The amendment will now be sent to the Montgomery County Council for their review. https://t.co/DzAuw70fL8 pic.twitter.com/eE58AqmOF2
— Montgomery Planning (@montgomeryplans) February 23, 2023
