One School, Two Streets, Four Fathers, Five Names

These are the steps of Green B. Trimble Technical High School at the intersection of West Cannon and South Adams streets. But in a way, these steps also are at the intersection of Fort Worth architecture’s Four Fathers—the four men whose silhouettes can be seen clearly, if only symbolically, in our skyline.

This is the original Tech building (1918), built on the site of Fort Worth University. The Tech building was designed by Marshall Sanguinet and Carl Staats, the first two of the Four Fathers. If you dust Fort Worth’s classic buildings of the first quarter of the twentieth century, you’ll find the fingerprints—and the blueprints—of Sanguinet and Staats.

Sanguinet and Staat’s design for the Tech building was rendered into brick and mortar by two construction companies. One was headed by William J. Bryce, a Scots immigrant who would become mayor in 1927. The other was headed by architect and engineer Wyatt C. Hedrick, the third of the Four Fathers. Hedrick in 1922 would join Sanguinet and Staats as junior partner and take over the firm in 1925 after Sanguinet and Staats retired. Hedrick designed many of Fort Worth’s architectural icons, among them the T&P passenger terminal and freight terminal, the central post office, and the Will Rogers complex.

This school building, in its one hundred years, has had five names.

The cornerstone and the nameplate over the west entrance are reminders that the building began in 1918 as “Fort Worth High School.”

By 1927 it was Central High School. In 1935 it was named after its principal and became Paschal High. In 1955 Paschal High moved to another building, and the Cannon Street building became Technical High School. After principal Green Berry Trimble retired in 1966 the school was named in his honor. And in those one hundred years the building has been expanded several times. The first expansion came in 1927, when rear wings and an auditorium were added to the 1918 building. They were designed by Wiley G. Clarkson, the fourth of the Four Fathers. Clarkson designed several of our school buildings, the Sinclair Building, First United Methodist Church, the Masonic Temple. (Photo from 1910 Panther yearbook.)

But wait! There’s more: In 2002 Fort Worth architect Ames Fender designed a technology wing for Tech High School. Ames Fender is the grandson of Wyatt C. Hedrick.

(These photos are of the 1918 building.)

Posts About Education in Fort Worth

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8 Responses to One School, Two Streets, Four Fathers, Five Names

  1. Deborah S McDonald says:

    I would like to see some old pictures of Caroll Peak Elementary School (Fort Worth, Texas) back in the 1960’s when I attended. Mr. Edward Briscoe was the Principal then. And any pictures of the teaching staff would very much be appreciated. I cannot find anything.

  2. Vickimar says:

    Hi I was wondering if there is to be more expansion going on if so I would be interested in helping buld sincerely Trimble Tech alumni

    • hometown says:

      Vickimeraz: I have no idea about any plans for expansion at Tech. I imagine the school office or FWISD could tell you.

  3. Carla Sanders says:

    Love your stories and photos! Simply priceless. Do you have any further background on Carroll Peak Elementary? Why was it demolished in 1988? Pictures of the old building?

    Thank You

  4. Wendy Erwin says:

    Absolutely love your stories! Thanks!

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