Officials announced that a former elementary school that was once a symbol of the history of apartheid in Cape May will be converted into a library branch of the Cape May County library system.

The New Jersey State Historic Sites Commission voted unanimously last week to approve the restoration of the Franklin Street School as part of a larger initiative to create the city’s “Museum Street” and downtown arts and cultural district.

Franklin Street School was established in 1927 and is open to black students from kindergarten to eighth grade. It has only three classrooms and three teachers to educate the black residents of Cape May. The school is particularly located on the corner of Cape May High School, which is only open to white students.

When the building was constructed, a new gymnasium at the Franklin School was One of the most visible signs of apartheid In Cape May. Although the gym is attached to the school, only white students at Cape May High School can use it, except during breaks on rainy days. The school’s architectural design made the black part of the high-rise building without a door to connect to the new gymnasium, which was opened separately from the Franklin School.

The school closed in 1948, when the State of New Jersey amended its constitution to prohibit school segregation. Six years ago, the Supreme Court’s ruling on Brown v. Board of Education opened the way for a wider abolition of segregation.

In the decades after the Franklin School closed, it was mainly used as a municipal warehouse. It fell into disrepair, but it was designated as an African-American historic site by the State of New Jersey and preserved.

After years of hard work to ensure that the building is suitable for community use, it was finally decided to transform the building into a library.

“This is a big step forward for Cape May,” said Mayor Zach Mullock. “Not only will we preserve such an important and largely forgotten history, but we have the unanimous support of the State Historic Sites Commission to help protect such an important building in Cape May. This building will be a great A library, a community center, and a fellowship place for everyone to meet, learn, and play!”

School is just around the corner Harriet Tubman Museum Lafayette Street was the center of abolition activities in the 1840s and 1850s. Tubman lived and worked in Cape May during this period, working with other abolitionists, including Franklin Sanborn, to plan to travel to slave states and transport black fugitives to safety.

Allen AME Church and Stephen Smith House are also part of Cape May Museum Street.

The timetable for the completion of the Franklin School Library has not yet been determined.