History of Poe Elementary School

The original Poe School was built in 1896, with a large addition being made to the school in 1922. This addition is credited as the build date of the school due to the demolition of the 1896 build later on. In 1931 an addition was added to the 1922 section, while keeping the 1896 build connected via the northeast corner of the school. While the 1922 and 1931 additions faced W Canfield St. the original 1896 school faced Lysander St. Later on Lysander would be later be cut short at Trumbull Ave. In the 1960s. leaving the original 1896 school entrance in a strange arrangement. Around the same time Edmonson Elementary School was built next to the Poe School in 1956, this caused Poe to close in 1964. The original 1896 school was demolished shortly after this between 1967 and 1973 according to aerial photos. However the namestone on the original 1896 Poe school was saved and is on display between the walkways of Poe and Edmonson. The school was later reactivated as the Poe Trainable DPS School, a project that aimed to help students that were Trainable Mentally Handicapped defined as (an outdated, now offensive, label for individuals with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities (IQ roughly 30-50) who can't benefit from typical academics but can learn essential life skills like self-care, basic hygiene, and simple tasks for sheltered employment, focusing on functional independence rather than academic achievement.) This new program lasted into the 2000s when it was closed down between 2004 and 2007. In 2007 Poe was repurposed and leased out as the Woodbridge Community Youth Center. After being repurposed in 2007 as a community center the school found new life, the community center provided sports (soccer, basketball), academics, arts, leadership, and life skills (literacy, financial) for local youth in the Woodbridge neighborhood. The center provided a critical gap in youth services in the Woodbridge area, which had seen 9 community centers close in the years leading up to Woodbridge’s opening in 2007. However the center would close in 2015. Due to its original construction integration with Edmonson, its power remains on however no alarms or security measures are in place at the former school, and today it remains abandoned rapidly decaying due to a burst pipe on the 2nd floor causing major flooding damage in sections of the school.