"Where in North Texas?" is an occasional series highlighting unique facets of life in the North Texas area. First, we post a photo on our Instagram and Facebook, giving readers a chance to guess where in North Texas the image is taken. Then we give the answer in a story. Here's the first installment's answer.
This image is taken from a tile mosaic at the St. Ann’s School building site at 2514 Harry Hines Blvd. The school, built in 1927, was Dallas' first school for Hispanic children. Later it grew for Dallas’ first high school for Hispanic girls, St. Ann’s Commercial High School for Girls. The schools served as a community hub for the neighborhood until their closings. The high school closed in 1965; the elementary school closed in 1974.
The original 1927 part of the school was declared a Dallas landmark site in 1999. It now is the home of St. Ann Restaurant and Bar. It features photographs and artifacts from the school.
According to St. Ann’s Alumni and Friends of Little Mexico Inc., the tile mosaic is all that is left of the girls’ high school. The neighborhood Little Mexico technically no longer exists, but its presence is felt in the area that straddles that part of Harry Hines Boulevard. Annually, the nonprofit group hosts a photo display at the State Fair of Texas and offers scholarships to Dallas high school students.
We also wanted to point out a comment left on our Instagram of this photo to highlight the importance of this landmark:
"St. Ann’s school in the barrio - little Mexico. My grandfather went to school there. I think developers call it “hardwood” now but it’ll always be the barrio to so many of us."