Green Mcadoo Cultural Center

One of the most meaningful projects that Studio Four Design has had the privilege to design is undoubtedly the Green McAdoo Cultural Center, a museum preserving the historic events that led to the end of segregation in public schools. After years of racial inequality, Clinton High School became the first school in the south to desegregate in 1956 when twelve courageous high school students braved threats of violence to attend.

Prior to this, African American students were enrolled at Clinton Colored School, which was permanently closed after desegregation for all grade levels took place. After years of functioning as a daycare and Head Start facility, it closed again in 2002 and was considered for demolition. Families of the “Clinton 12”, however, urged city leaders to convert the historic building into a museum to preserve this critical point in national history.

The Green McAdoo Cultural Center shares the compelling story of these twelve courageous high school students who, through their attendance at the public school, helped propel the desegregation movement in the south. The unforgettable statue of the students represents an original photograph of them walking down the hill to the school on their first day. A quote on the front of the wall preserves some of the words spoken in a sermon following a school bombing intended to stop segregation efforts. Every project detail was critical in finding the right balance between opposing forces: black and white, separation and connectivity, old and new, tragedy and triumph.

Fittingly, the Green McAdoo Cultural Center opened in 2006 as a key element in the 50th-anniversary commemoration of the event.