This historic, one-room schoolhouse may not conjure up sweet images of children learning the three R’s and dropping an apple on the teacher’s desk.
That’s because the Old Schoolhouse in Azusa was a place where those of Mexican descent were segregated, taught English through a race-based policy of forced Americanization. Later came another slap in the face to the Canyon City’s growing Latino population, as the whites voted in City Hall, while “the Mexicans” were sent exclusively to the old schoolhouse to cast ballots, according to historical reports.
However, since it was built in 1903, the building has been a witness to the gradual changes in attitudes and civil rights. As city historians describe, it was the first kindergarten in the city, and became “a community space promoting connection, creativity and culture.”
On Wednesday, Nov. 12, the restored, 122-year-old wood-framed school building with the dark past was dedicated after it was moved in 2022 and placed alongside a row of historic city structures “as a symbol of hope and progress towards the future.” It has taken its position between Azusa’s Historical Museum and the Barnes House, the city’s first permitted home, standing proud in Veteran’s Freedom Park, located at 213 E. Foothill Blvd.
“We have to keep the old because we don’t want to forget,” began Assemblymember Blanca Rubio, a Democrat who represents Azusa and a large part of the central San Gabriel Valley. “We must remind kids of what happened and move forward and make sure it never happens again.”
Mayor Robert Gonzales led the effort to restore the dilapidated structure and move it from the campus of Slauson Middle School to a prominent place in the city. He prompted Blanca Rubio, along with her sister, Democratic State Sen. Susan Rubio D-West Covina, to award the city of Azusa a $3 million state grant to cover the cost of the move and restoration.
Why keep a reminder of segregation and racism front-and-center in your city?, he was asked.
“I thought we were supposed to learn from history. That is why it is so important for us to preserve this building,” he said before the ribbon cutting. “We didn’t want to tear it down and let history get erased.”
Gonzales was referring to executive orders by President Donald Trump to soften references to slavery at the Smithsonian museums in Washington D.C. as part of the Trump administration’s broader purge of references it considered “woke,” or divisive. In September, the administration ordered the removal of many signs and exhibits at national parks regarding the history of slavery in America.
Azusa, located 20 miles east of Los Angeles at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, was originally the home of the Tongva, an indigenous people. As of the 2020 census, the city had about 50,000 residents, with 64% Hispanic or Latino and 15.5% white.
Many leaders in attendance who are Latino, including Gonzales, City Clerk/City Historian Jeffrey Lawrence Cornejo, Jr., City Manager Sergio Gonzalez and the Rubio sisters, felt emotional about the preservation of the one-room schoolhouse, one of the last remaining in Los Angeles County.
“When we moved the schoolhouse, there were folks crying who said: ‘I went to school there,’ ” said Blanca Rubio, who taught elementary school before joining the state Assembly.
Though the schoolhouse didn’t start out segregating Latino residents, in years following, segregation became the insidious practice. After segregating school kids of Mexican descent, the building was where eligible Mexican-American adults could vote. Yes, they could practice democracy, but not alongside white residents.
“During the dark age of segregation, the “Americans” voted at City Hall, but the Mexicans voted at the schoolhouse,” explained Cornejo, a former member of the city historical commission, which designated it as an original historical landmark in 1983. “It is our building. It represents so many of us. I hope we never go back to the old days and always move forward.”
State Sen. Rubio reflected on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) raids that have taken place throughout Southern California since June. While the Trump administration says they are arresting criminals, observers and courts have characterized the actions as racial profiling targeting Latinos in general.
A ProPublic report released in October found 170 U.S. citizens detained or kept in detention for days, with many beaten, tased or shot. Activist groups object to the breaking up of families, many of whom have lived, worked and paid taxes in LA County for decades. L.A. County declared the raids a local emergency, affecting families, children, and the county’s economy as thousands of undocumented immigrants, many with papers to work here, stay away from restaurants and workplaces for fear of being arrested and deported.
“In what we’ve seen happening nationally and in our communities, we’ve seen children crying, holding onto their dad or their mom trying to say goodbye. It breaks my heart. This is the kind of history we are trying to put behind us,” said Sen. Susan Rubio.
One way to honor history and put it “behind us” at the same time is to restore the old schoolhouse stained by racism and put it on display in a city park for all to see and enjoy.
Architect John Lesak, with Page & Turnbull, Inc., the firm that restored the 122-year-old Craftsman style one-room schoolhouse, said the project amounted to re-doing everything, including new sidings, walls, ceilings, floors and installing one of the best HVAC systems in the city. The 1,400-square-foot interior has original wainscoting painted Jamestown Blue.
The natural light flows through bi-fold casement windows hinged in the center, a feature that is rare. The de-cluttered room has some old wooden desks, one with an abacas and also a slideshow of historic pictures and of the move and restoration.
But the most important improvement is the rebuilding of a full front porch, said Lesak.
“The front porch is where we started,” he told those gathered for the opening. “When we started it was enclosed, facing the wrong direction. It is the porch that provides the connection to the community, that welcomes people into the space.”
The old schoolhouse will be used for a speakers series, author talks, art exhibits and for meetings.
“I cannot wait for some of our schools to come through here and learn about their history,” said Sen. Rubio.