The El Paso School for Girls was founded in 1910 by former Mathematics teacher Ora W.L. Slater, who was the sister of Captain H.D. Slater, the former publisher of the El Paso Times and the Herald. Miss Slater, who graduated from Wellesley College in Virginia - class of 1893 - arrived in El Paso in 1896 to teach Math at the old Central High School. Miss Slater carried a deep interest in Classical Art, Greek Philosophy and Literature, English Poetry, and made many trips to Europe. She was versed in current world affairs, and longed to expand her teaching beyond what she was able to accomplish in the public school system.
Driven by her passion, a consortium of leading citizens in town created a joint stock company, and classroom space was leased in two adjoining homes on Terrace Street in Sunset Heights. Miss Slater joined with fellow educator Olga T. Tafel as associate principals of the newly founded El Paso School for Girls.
A scant seven years later, enrollment had exceeded expectations to the point that a new, permanent building was required. Paul Harvey and Paul D. Thomas, who owned the Terrace Street campus, purchased land at the corner of of Hastings and the present Radford Streets to build a new facility. This new building, a three-story residence with classroom wings, was completed by early January 1918. The Board of Directors financed the new building by an annually-renewable bank loan, and the school officially opened either September 1 (by some accounts) or September 11, 1918.
The original 1917-1918 building comprises the southernmost end of the current Radford School, including the two classroom wings and residences still intact, and is at the corner of Radford and Hastings. The architectural style is a Spanish Revival, with some Mission accents, and the building is in very good condition.
The El Paso Herald of 01/26/1918 identifies the architect as H.M. Beutell. In the October 27, 1974 El Paso Times, Bradford Hardie Jr. claimed the design was his in an interview shortly before his passing. Who's lying? Fortunately, no one. At the time the School was built, the architectural firm of Beutell & Hardie, led by Beutell, was quite active in El Paso and was given the commission for the School. Although Beutell was given credit for the design, as the head of the firm, the design was actually drawn by Hardie. Both architects, considered equally brilliant, had drawn Spanish/Pueblo/Mission styled buildings independently (Beutell had designed the original Colon Theater and Hardie had drawn up the Hudspeth County Courthouse, as examples), and the style of the El Paso School for Girls is obviously Hardie's work.
In 1927, Dr. Lucinda de Leftwich Templin became principal of the school, inheriting a huge debt still left over from the building's financing. She contacted George and Julia Brown Radford, friends of hers from Missouri, to pay off the school's debts; which they graciously did by donating the funds, and creating a corporation. The school was renamed Radford School in their honor, a name that it retains to this day.
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Text, research and modern photography provided to Sketchclub.net by Mark Stone, citing:
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| Circa 1919 photograph courtesy of the DeGolyer Digital Library at Southern Methodist University |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 04/30/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 04/30/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 04/30/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 04/30/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 04/30/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 04/30/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 04/30/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 04/30/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 04/30/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 04/30/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 04/30/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 04/30/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 04/30/2021 |
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| Photograph taken by Mark Stone 04/30/2021 |
