| Washington Education Center | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Established: | September 1, 1937[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type: | Public | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| District: | Pittsburgh Public Schools | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grades: | 9 - 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Streetaddress: | 169 40th St. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| City: | Pittsburgh | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| State: | Pennsylvania | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zipcode: | 15216 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country: | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website: | 40.4695°N -79.9628°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Closed: | 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Washington Education Center is a former vocational school in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Lawrenceville at 40th Street and Eden Way.
Washington Polytechnic Academy was located on the former site of Washington Elementary School, which had a history spanning from 1868 until 1935. Originally named Washington Number One, the school was named in honor of George Washington's crossing of the Allegheny River with Christopher Gist. A marker on the school notes the event. A structure was constructed on the site in 1908 and in 1936 was expanded to form the Washington Trade School. The Charles W. Bier designed structure opened on September 1, 1937.[4] From 1937 until the early 21st century it served as a public vocational school[5] capable of accommodating 900 students and included a testing laboratory, bricklaying shop, print shop, library, two drafting rooms, blue print shop, mimeograph room, and an auditorium with a seating capacity of 384.
On February 2, 1972 Julie Nixon Eisenhower visited the school during her fathers re-election campaign to discuss busing.[6] In May 1972, an international contingent of students visited the center from Brazil, Thailand, South Korea, Venezuela, Chile, Peru, Afghanistan, and Libya.[7]
The school building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The building was used as a school until 2006 and later sold with plans to be converted to a hotel.[8] It opened in 2019 as the TRYP by Wyndham Pittsburgh/Lawrenceville, with 108 guest rooms and two restaurants.[9]