Langston-Brown Community Center

Though the Langston-Brown Community Center only dates back to the 1970s, it occupies a site steeped in the history of the Hall’s Hill / High View Park neighborhood. For over 125 years, this site has been dedicated to the education of students from the neighborhood. For the first 60 of those years, the site served the needs of the children in the predominantly Black community who were intentionally segregated from the White students under Virginia’s Jim Crow laws. Through the years, the buildings also provided recreational and community activities and spaces that were not made available to African Americans elsewhere.

HISTORY

In 1885, the first dedicated educational facility for the African American children of Hall’s Hill was opened on the site of the LBCC. [VDHR] Sumner School No. 2 was a one-room schoolhouse named for the American statesman who fought for the bill that gave “freedom of schools” to African Americans following the Civil War. [VDHR] Sumner Schools provided education to Black students who resided in a region then called Washington District of Alexandria County (Arlington). 

John M. Langston School in 1932 (Photo courtesy of the Arlington Library)

In 1924, as the area expanded after World War I, the Sumner School was demolished to make room for a larger facility. According to information provided by Hall’s Hill residents, over 1,000 people attended the cornerstone ceremony for what would become the John M. Langston School, named for the American abolitionist, educator, and first African American Congressman in Virginia. [HPP] The school was a “Rosenwald School,” part of a collaboration between philanthropist Booker T. Washington and Julius Rosenwald, part owner of the Sears Roebuck and Company. These schools were built to provide education opportunities for Black students who had largely been ignored in the Jim Crow South. [HPP] Nearly 5,000 of these schools were built, educating nearly one-third of the Black students in the US in the former Confederate states and Maryland, Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Missouri. [Jones-Kilgo] The school opened its doors to the neighborhood in 1926.

Originally built as a four-classroom schoolhouse, the John M. Langston School expanded considerably over the years. By the end of World War II, it had grown to ten teachers and added restrooms, locker rooms, a playroom, a cafeteria, and administration offices. In 1959, a second story was added, adding additional classrooms and support rooms. [VDHR] Most locals remember this final configuration. During this time, the name of the school was also shortened to Langston School.

A PERIOD OF TRANSITION

Despite the continued construction and growth of the school building through the 1950s, the student body of Langston School began to shrink in the 1960s. Arlington County schools began desegregating in 1959 with Stratford Junior High. From 1963 to 1964, secondary schools across Arlington integrated. With the further integration of local elementary schools by 1966, John M. Langston continued to scale down as the all-Black student body dispersed into the local school district. By 1971, only a kindergarten remained at the Langston School. [LBA] As the decade progressed, the kindergarten was replaced with a Head Start program, and the building became one of two new high school continuation programs for adults in Arlington. [HPP]

Langston Brown Community Center in 1983 (Photo courtesy of the Langston-Brown High School Continuation Program)

According to locals, the building was a “rock for the community,” providing more than just education to residents. [James] It had long served as a meeting place for the Hall’s Hill / High View Park neighborhood and had been the home of community recreation activities for decades. The Arlington Parks and Recreation Department soon took over the operation of the building, continuing the recreation activities by creating the Langston-Brown Community Center. The new name carried the tradition of John M. Langston while also recognizing Lillian Brown, a longtime community and civil rights activist who had fought to keep the community center open. [HPP]

Young women’s modern dance group – part of the recreation activities at the Langston School, 1957. (Photo courtesy of Arlington Library).

The Langston Blazers basketball team at the Langston-Brown Community Center in the 1980s (Photo courtesy of Arlington Library).

In 2003, the original Langston School building was demolished to make way for the new center. The 50,000-square-foot, four-story building has a striking contemporary style designed by Beery Rio Associates. The building also received a LEED Silver award for green construction in an educational building, the first of its kind in the region. This was obtained through the maximization of natural light, green building techniques, and the use of a stormwater management system. Both the county Departments of Education and Parks and Recreation now operate the building. The John M. Langston High School Continuation Program occupies the top floors. At the same time, the bottom contains the community center, offering senior programs, youth programs, and community and recreation facilities.

Langston-Brown Community Center (Photo courtesy of Arlington County).

A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE TO THE NEW CENTER

Cleveland C. James Jr., known affectionately in Arlington as Bubby, knows both the high school and recreation center well. He spoke with us on behalf of his former role as principal of John M. Langston and not as a current employee of Arlington County Department of Parks and Recreation. Bubby opened the John M. Langston High School Continuation Program in 2003 as the first principal in the new building. After retiring from the high school, he walked downstairs and started at the community center.

Cleveland “Bubby” James onsite at the Langston-Brown Community Center (Photo courtesy of Cindy Kane Photography).

John M. Langston High School was Bubby’s first job as a Principal, although he had worked in multiple educational roles throughout the County, including at the previous version of this continuation program. When he saw the new building, he knew he “wanted to come home” to John M. Langston. The program there is built to offer flexibility for students who need it. Bubby says that some kids face external struggles, some are working already, or some may have family to take care of, limiting their chances of success in traditional high school programs. John M. Langston offers a flexible, fast-track program that helps these students succeed. Bubby and his staff also worked diligently to make sure that all students knew they were valued and important. He and his team even created a college road trip program that allowed students who may have never thought of college to visit and experience college life. He is proud of the successes they had with the building, program, and especially the students. [James]

As principal, we worked closely with his downstairs neighbors at the community center. He helped to create valuable community bonds by having the students in the high school get involved with the senior programs. Meanwhile, some seniors who had previously been teachers came up to serve as tutors. One of his favorite community events started as a conversation with a student at Thanksgiving. Hearing that the student had to work on the holiday and didn’t get a Thanksgiving meal, Bubby started a Thanksgiving lunch program for those who may not otherwise have the opportunity. It grew to include students, seniors, locals, and public servants, serving over 400 people in a joyous event. He accredits his accommodation for others and ability to cook to his grandfather, who was the first Black maître d' at the White House. [James]

Bubby had a long affiliation with the Arlington Parks and Recreation Department. He had been a lifeguard and managed one of Arlington’s first public pools when he was younger. He started his educational career as a PE teacher while still working part-time with the department, coaching local youth teams. When it came time to retire from education, Bubby continued his part-time work with Langston-Brown Community Center, where you can find him most days. Walking through the halls with him tells you he is a bit of a celebrity around the building. Bubby hopes that the community center will continue long after he leaves. It has played such a historic and important role that it is now ingrained in the fabric of the community. LBA could not agree more.