Architecture in Fort Worth
W.C. Stripling Middle School
2100 Clover Lane - 1927; 1955; 1958; 1989 (CFW)
Formerly:
W.C. Stripling Junior High School
W.C. Stripling High School
This school was constructed in 1927 as W.C. Stripling High School to serve the growing population of the Arlington Heights area and to replace the 1922 Arlington Heights High School. The building was designed by Wiley G. Clarkson and constructed by K.H. Muse. Clarkson also designed for the same school bond package, William James Middle School in the Polytechnic area of the city. The plans for the buildings were identical, but Clarkson put different facades on the two schools. The school was named after W.C. Stripling, founder of Stripling's Department Store. The Stripling building is a 3 story "H" shaped plan and has some Georgian Revival details. At the projecting entry, inscriptions of "Knowledge", "Citizenship", and "Character" appear above each arched opening. The campus was landscaped as a part of the Works Progress Administration by Hare and Hare of St. Louis. The school was converted to a junior high school in 1937, when the current Arlington Heights High School opened. With the West Side continually growing, eight classrooms, designed by Jim D. Vowell were added in 1955 and twelve more were added in 1958, thereby extending the wings of the building to the west. The building is designated as a City of Fort Worth Historic and Cultural Landmark.
