About the project
The Edward U. Taylor Elementary School located in Boyds has been designated in the County’s Master Plan for Historic Preservation.
The MARC Rail Communities Sector Plan (2019) directed Montgomery Planning to evaluate the Edward U. Taylor School for designation as a Master Plan Historic Site. Planning staff collaborated with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and the community who supported the designation. Alterations to the building or site will require design review by the Historic Preservation Commission.
The County Council voted to approve the historic district designation on July 11, 2023. Following the County Council’s approval, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission approved the resolution to list the resource to the Master Plan for Historic Preservation in October 2023.
Historic and architectural significance
The former Edward U. Taylor School is located at 19501 White Ground Road, approximately one mile to the southwest of Boyds. The building currently serves as the Taylor Science Center for the processing and storage of science kits for Montgomery County Public Schools. The Modern Movement-influenced building was completed in 1952, and features several additions built between 1954 and 1969.
The Taylor School was built as an elementary school for Black students at a time when Montgomery County used legally sanctioned racial segregation to prohibit Black children from attending white schools. The facility was built to modern school design standards and represents the cumulative efforts of the county’s Black community to obtain better facilities and opportunities after decades of public underinvestment in educational facilities for Black children.
In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education struck down the “separate but equal” doctrine, forcing Montgomery County Public Schools to end its system of racial segregation. The Taylor School was one of the last county schools to desegregate, in 1961, and was the only segregated Black elementary school to retain its original function.
As a hallmark of the era of de jure racial segregation, the Taylor School captures the struggle and perseverance of the County’s Black communities as they fought for equal rights during the segregation and integration of the public school system.
The former Edward U. Taylor School is located at 19501 White Ground Road, approximately one mile to the southwest of Boyds. The building currently serves as the Taylor Science Center for the processing and storage of science kits for Montgomery County Public Schools. The Modern Movement-influenced building was completed in 1952, and features several additions built between 1954 and 1969.
The Taylor School was built as an elementary school for Black students at a time when Montgomery County used legally sanctioned racial segregation to prohibit Black children from attending white schools. The facility was built to modern school design standards and represents the cumulative efforts of the county’s Black community to obtain better facilities and opportunities after decades of public underinvestment in educational facilities for Black children.
In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education struck down the “separate but equal” doctrine, forcing Montgomery County Public Schools to end its system of racial segregation. The Taylor School was one of the last county schools to desegregate, in 1961, and was the only segregated Black elementary school to reopen as an integrated school for white and black children.
As a hallmark of the era of de jure racial segregation, the Taylor School captures the struggle and perseverance of the County’s Black communities as they fought for equal rights during the segregation and integration of the public school system.
Evaluation process
The County Council approved the Edward U. Taylor Elementary: An Amendment to the Master Plan for Historic Preservation in July 2023. The County Council voted against designating the Weller’s Dry Cleaning in Silver Spring. For more information about that project, visit the Weller’s Dry Cleaning webpage.
View the Approved and Adopted Plan (July 2023)(opens in a new tab)
View the Planning Board Draft Plan (February 2023):
Appendix: Edward U. Taylor Elementary School Designation Form
Appendix: Weller’s Dry Cleaning Designation Form
View the Public Hearing Draft Plan (January 2023):
Appendix: Edward U. Taylor Elementary School Designation Form
Appendix: Weller’s Dry Cleaning Designation Form
Read more about the historical and architectural significance of the Edward U. Taylor Elementary School and Weller’s Dry Cleaning.
Staff Contact
John Liebertz
301-563-3405
Email