Land on which the school is situated was received on July 9, 1903, for the sum of one dollar from the Ludington, Wells & Van Schaick Co. This conveyance occurred during the time Parish School Board of Calcasieu Parish had jurisdiction over education in our area.

DEED STIPULATION: In case said School Board does not erect a school house, or shall use the said granted premises or any part thereof, for any other than school purposes, then, in any such event, the said above described is to revert to and become the property of the said The Ludington, Wells, & Van Schaick Company, and it shall be lawful for the Ludington, Wells & Van Schaick Company into the whole to reenter and expel the said grantee.

The donor of the property was a lumber company associated with the early sawmill era in Beauregard Parish. Due to various company mergers, the company is presently known as International Paper Company.

Education began in Beauregard Parish in 1906 in a wooden building that had been erected on the site. The original school was replaced in 1913 by a three-story brick structure which housed high school and elementary students. Due to overcrowding, a separate school was constructed for high school students in 1921 which was directly south of the grammar school.

The requirement for additional classrooms continued and on May 31, 1938, the Parish School Board approved $100,000. for 15 years at six per cent per annum for construction of the First Street Grammar School. By October 4, 1938, Heinberg of Alexandria, Louisiana, had been employed as architect for fee of six per cent of construction cost and A. F. Rideout, DeRidder, Louisiana, was employed as Engineer. The school with its half circular front was designed by Max Heinberg, who was considered to be one of the state's premier designers. Plans and specifications for the grammar school were submitted to the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in March 1939 and the school was completed in January 1941.

Unusual about the building is its superior quality of construction. It is described by architects as well built, well designed and well engineered. Except for the roof and floors, it is solid masonary and concrete. Even the fire escapes have concrete steps. According to Ray Fugatt, Lake Charles architect, the school has an appraised value of $2.7 million in year 1998.

Previous destruction of Parish schools by fire, gave cause to emphasize fire resistance features in the design of the building. It has characteristics of a bomb shelter and has withstood destructive tornado winds. Of interest is the fact that the source of the lumber for the oak floors was local oak timber purchased from the DeRidder, Longbell Flooring Company for $32. per thousand feet.

The school contains original classrooms and principal's office. In 1941, grades 1 - 7 were taught in the school that was served by 24 teachers and principal. Walls of two classrooms were removed from upstairs and also downstairs in 1972. This allowed for the smooth transition from self contained classes to the classroom system that accommodated the new intergrated (African American and white students) educational system.

Because of proximity of cantonment camps that the Army placed near DeRidder in the early 1940's, an increase in population was experienced and school over crowding again became a problem. To ease overcrowding, three Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) buildings were utilized. This necessitated the addition of additional classroom wings and an 1100 seat auditorium to the south of the school in 1948. Although the facade stands quite close to a busy, tree-lined street, the rear elevation faces a large parking area. The entire campus occupies approximately four acres.

The original building consists of a central block with a forward-projecting wing on each side, set at an angle. The central block features a recessed entrance; the wings contain classrooms. The school's small original auditorium survives on the central block's second level. The previously mentioned 1948 wing is set to the rear of the central block. It contains a two-story auditorium flanked by one-story hallways and classrooms. Interesting feature is (1) a recessed secondary building entrance which adjoins a curved alcove containing a large curved window filled with glass blocks and (2) geometric feature on the exterior is the fact that the building's brick walls are laid in a manner to form horizontal bands. This effect is achieved through the use of a slightly darker shade of brick laid with its header turned outward within every sixth brick course.

On the interior, concrete hallway floors scored to resemble large stone blocks are another interesting feature. In the 1948 auditorium, the balcony's pipe-like railings suggest the influence of the International style.

The grammar school, known as "First Street School" is located one block from the DeRidder Historical District and located within one-half block of the Parish Courthouse and Jail which are on the National Register of Historic Places.

The building served as an elementary school until 1980. Although it has never undergone an official name change, the school has been known by three titles over the years. Beauregard Parish School Board minutes refer to it as the DeRidder Grammar School for the first year of its existence. However, the minutes also show that it was called First Street School throughout the 1940's. Later it became known as DeRidder Elementary School. It's Modernistic facade is one of only two examples of a style which was rare in Louisiana and even more rare in the state's small towns.

The grammar school, known as "First Street School" is located one block from the DeRidder Historical District and located within one-half block of the Parish Courthouse and Jail which are on the National Register of Historic Places. Locally significant, the school is one of very few high style buildings in the community and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 19, 1998.

Architect 1940 section: Max Heinberg, Alexandria, LA

Architect 1948 section: Barron & Heinberg, Alexandria, LA

BIBLIOGRAPHY: National Register Staff of Louisiana Div. of Historic Preservation

Pat Lane and Velmer Lenora Smith, Historical Sketch: First Street School