AUSTIN, Texas — The Montopolis Negro School operated from 1935 to 1962 when Travis County, along with most of the South, followed racial segregation laws. After the Austin Independent School District integrated in 1962, the building served as the Montopolis Church of Christ until the 1980s, according to the City of Austin. After several years of protests and nearly a decade of legal battles, the City of Austin bought the Montopolis Negro School in 2019. 

Carol Mae Hester’s mother attended the school in the 1940s. Her mother traveled a long way to get there. 

“They came on a mule and a buggy,” said Hester.

She has advocated for preserving the school for many years to keep her family’s rich history alive. 

“I look at this school and it’s lonely, and I get sad. It just feels like it’s lost,” said Hester. 

The plan is to turn the old building into a museum. 

In 2025, the City of Austin established the Department of Art, Culture, Music and Entertainment (ACME) to strengthen the city’s investment in arts, culture, creative spaces and historic and cultural assets.

The Montopolis Negro School project was then transferred from the Austin Parks and Recreation Department to ACME. The department has renewed and revitalized the vision-planning process for the site.

A spokesperson with ACME said this renewed planning effort is intended to build upon the community input gathered through previous engagement, as well as further define the site’s future use and programming and identify potential funding opportunities for the preservation, rehabilitation and eventual construction needed to bring the community’s vision to life. 

Spectrum News attended a community meeting about the project on Aug. 18. Members of the community gave their input on what they wanted the site to transform into. 

A series of five community engagement meetings and focus groups have been held since ACME started overseeing the project.