This landmark 1872 school building... which graduated the first high school class for African Americans in 1877. The Sumner School was named for US Senator Charles Sumner, an outspoken advocate for integration, especially in education. Designed by Washington architect Adolf Cluss, the structure received an award for design in 1873 at the Vienna Exposition.
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The Charles Sumner School is an appealing museum, which also houses the DC Public School archives. It was renovated to a “modernized Norman style” in 1984-85. Permanent exhibits include extensive DC public school memorabilia and sculptural vignettes that capture the life and times of Frederick Douglass.