A nearly century-old vacant school building, the Harper School, caught fire off Washington Avenue over the weekend, and Houston Mayor John Whitmire said he wants to preserve the “important piece of Houston’s Black history.”
The historic Harper facility was built in 1927 at 3200 Center St. The extent of the building’s losses were not initially clear, but Whitmire said he assessed the property’s damage with Houston Fire Chief Thomas Muñoz on Sunday.
“We’re here to preserve the facade, the historical marker and anything salvageable to put it in its final resting place,” he said outside the former school in a video posted on social media Sunday…