FWISD Breaks Ground on $55.8 million Terrell Renovation

March 12,2016

By Lee Graham

I.M. Terrell School has entered a new phase, with the historic campus set to house the Fort Worth Independent School District’s Visual and Performing Arts Academy and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Academy.

Fort Worth school officials on broke ground March 4 at the campus at 1411 I.M. Terrell Circle S., currently an elementary school. The first students in the high school academies are expected to begin classes there in August 2017.

When operating as a high school during the era of segregation, I.M. Terrell was the city’s all-black public high school.

The $55.8 million in renovations are funded with bonds approved by voters in the school district’s 2013 capital improvement program.

“This design is cutting edge and incorporates all the thoughts and ideas of all our stakeholders,” said Jacinto Ramos Jr., school board president, at the groundbreaking.

The new campus design incorporates both the existing buildings and new elements to create what district officials call a new “sense of place.”

The new building will encompass about 65,000 square feet split between two levels. The main auditorium and stage occupy the center of the building, with about 300 seats in the balcony and 600 on the floor.

The existing I.M. Terrell building underwent extensive renovations in 2007. Its auditorium will remain unchanged, except for lighting and sound system upgrades.

The arts and sciences academies will serve grades 9 through 12, with grades phased in starting with ninth grade the first year. One grade level will be added per year. The campus is expected to accommodate as many as 800 students, initially about 500 VPA students and 300 STEM students.

The existing elementary school and the technology and testing departments will be relocated.
The project architect is Corgan Associates, with Con-Real Turner providing pre-construction services.