Old School Square Cultural Arts Center, Delray Beach, FL

Old School Square Cultural Arts Center, located in the heart of charming downtown Delray Beach, was created thanks to the determination of a local group of citizens who saved the 1913 Delray Elementary and 1925 Delray High School buildings from demolition after they were abandoned by the Palm Beach County School District in the mid 1980’s.  Over $7 million was raised to restore and re-adapt the facilities for use as a museum and theatre. The center is on the National Register of Historic Places and serves as a gathering place for the community.

The photos above show the 1925 high school building, now the Crest Theatre, before and after restoration.

The 1913 elementary school building, now the Cornell Museum of Art & American Culture, is shown (above) as it was in the 1980s and as it looks today.

The photos above show the 1926 Gymnasium before and after restoration.  The photos below show the high school auditorium (now the Crest Theatre) before and after restoration.  The Entertainment Pavilion (not shown) is a newer outdoor performance facility which represents Phase One of a ten-year master plan for expansion.

History Time Line

• 1913 - Delray Elementary was built on the corner of Swinton and Atlantic Avenues for grades one through twelve.
• 1925 – Delray High School was built just north of the elementary building, on the same site, to serve the growing population.
• 1949 – Last graduation for Delray High School. Plans were for a new high school to be built north of town, leaving the original elementary and high school buildings to serve as Delray Elementary.
• Mid 1980's – Palm Beach County School Board abandoned both school buildings. A new elementary school (Banyan Creek) in the western part of town opened in the fall of 1988.
• Late 1985 – A group of concerned citizens, spearheaded by then Delray Beach Historical Society Vice President, Frances Bourque, established a task force to save the buildings and recapture some of their historic meaning. In their view, this four-acre site, containing the two classroom buildings with a 320 seat auditorium and gymnasium, had great potential as both an important historic preservation project and an arts center benefiting Delray Beach and the surrounding communities. It was also thought that the restored buildings could jumpstart a plan to revitalize the struggling downtown, which had an occupancy rate of just over 30%.
• 1986 – The site was incorporated as Old School Square, Inc. and the ambitious restoration project was underway.
• June, 1988 – Delray Elementary finally closed. The buildings fell into disrepair and the site became a fenced, dilapidated eyesore. The task force, however, had been actively raising funds and working with the City of Delray Beach to acquire the property.
• 1990 – The 1913 elementary building had been completely restored as the Cornell Museum of Art and History; and the exterior restoration of the original high school building was also completed.
• 1993 – With restoration completed, the Crest Theatre opened its first season.
• 1998 – Restoration of the classrooms in the Crest Theatre building was completed.
• 2002 – Phase I of a 10-year Master Plan for expansion was completed with opening of the Entertainment Pavilion.

Awards & Recognitions

Old School Square was the catalyst for the redevelopment and revival of downtown Delray Beach. The center was recognized nationally with feature articles in Preservation Magazine and in Florida Trend when they named Delray Beach the "Best Run Town in Florida." Old School Square was one of three anchor projects that won Delray Beach the coveted All-America City designation in 1993. The center was recognized for turning the abandoned school buildings into a vital cultural arts center. In 1994 Old School Square was nationally recognized as one of three Best Practice Winners by Partners for Livable Communities and the International City/County Management Association. The center was featured in a presentation at the Smithsonian Institution for National Leadership Forum on "Culture Builds Communities" and was singled out as an exemplary model of a community that used the arts to institute a positive change in the community.

Old School Square has received three awards from the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation for outstanding preservation of a non-residential structure. Frances Bourque, Chairman Emeritus of Old School Square, received the 1993 Distinguished Service Award for Historic Preservation in the state of Florida and the Sun-Sentinel Outstanding Community Service Award for Palm Beach County. She was honored with the Florida Arts Recognition Award in 1998, and in 2004, was honored by the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation with the Trust’s first Evelyn Fortune Barlett Award, which recognizes an individual whose commitment to an individual project or property has insured that it retains its integrity and significance. In 2006, Mrs. Bourque was honored with a Bank of America Hometown Hero Award for her work in preserving the buildings and creating Old School Square.

Old School Square was awarded a state historic preservation grant to create a pictorial history of Old School Square and its transformation. “Alumni Hall” in the Crest Theatre building houses this exhibit. The center was also honored with an Exemplary Business Partner Award by the School District of Palm Beach County in May 2001 and with the George Washington Honor Award by the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge in September, 2001.

Partnerships

Over the years, Old School Square has become a leader in establishing partnerships with other organizations to perpetuate the arts in the community. Examples include the following:

• The Roots Cultural Festival – Celebrating the African American community, this organization presents its classical series in partnership with the Crest Theatre and its three-day summer festival at the pavilion in partnership with Old School Square.
• Palm Beach Watercolor Society, Florida Watercolor Society, National Association of Women Artists and Women in the Visual Arts exhibits hosted by the Cornell Museum.
• The annual Gathering of Kuumba Artist Showcase has been hosted by both the Cornell Museum and Crest Theatre.
• Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival and Innisfree Irish Theatre work with the Crest Theatre.
• Cinco de Mayo Festival, Asian Food Fair and Cultural Show, Haitian-American Festival, Garlic Festival and the Delray Affair utilize the Entertainment Pavilion and grounds.
• Delray Beach Orchid Society Show & Sale and the Southern Handcraft Holiday Show utilize the Vintage Gymnasium.
• A new partnership with the Palm Beach Poetry Festival began in January 2006. This five-day festival attracts poets from around the country for workshops, readings, and other special events.