Residents outraged over demolition of historic school

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Demolition has started on the original Wheatley High School in Houston's Fifth Ward, but a group that's fighting to preserve the building claims it was misled by Houston ISD and thought the district had plans to try and preserve the historic building.

It's located at Lyons and Gregg, on the northeast side. Residents and activists say they were caught off guard when the equipment rolled in on a holiday weekend.

The building has been through several name changes, but it will always be the old Wheatley High School to many, where Congress members Barbara Jordan and Mickey Leland went to class, as well as County Commissioner El Franco Lee and jazz pianist Joe Sample.

At a rally on Monday, members of the historic Wheatley/EO Smith preservation coalition say they were blindsided by this demolition. They claim the district's own architect said the building was solid and the residents say the last meeting they left they were satisfied by what they thought the preservation plans were.

"You lied, you lied, you lied and the truth ain't in you," said resident Kathy Blueford-Daniels. "We left here believing that you were going to respect the wishes of this community."

HISD says a new preparatory academy will be on the site of what's now the EO Smith Education Center and the academy will incorporate some of the original architecture.

HISD issued the following statement: