FREDERICKSBURG, VA — The Matthew Fontaine Maury School building is a Fredericksburg staple. From 1920 to 1980, the building hosted elementary and middle school students.
However, many residents are unaware of the full and varied history of the structure. From its origins as a potter’s field to its current use as a luxury condo building, the Maury building has served Fredericksburg residents for more than 100 years.
In 1919, Fredericksburg officials recognized that the city needed a new school. They decided to build the structure within Liberty Town, a Black settlement that arose after the Civil War.
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Liberty Town was previously used as a potter’s field, and city historians referred to the area as “the Colored Cemetery,” as many Black residents were buried there. The people buried there were reinterred at the Shiloh Cemetery after it opened in 1882.
Architect Phillip Stern designed the school building. Stern, who designed many buildings around the city, brought the school’s colonial architecture to life.
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“It stands as a classic example of early 20th-century public school architecture, featuring distinctive details such as the commanding entrance porticoes,” the Virginia Department of Historic Resources notes on the historic register.
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From 1919 to 1952, elementary and high school students attended classes at the Maury School building. The school continued to serve elementary and middle school students until 1980.
In that time, the Maury building and its attached stadium hosted the Fredericksburg Dog Mart. The Fredericksburg Dog Mart began in 1698 and is still active today. On its website, the organizer claim to host the oldest dog event in America.
“The Fredericksburg Dog Mart is descendant from an event that was established in 1698 to facilitate trade between the Pamunkey Indians and the settlers of what would become Fredericksburg,” the Dog Mart organizers say on their website. “The Indians would trade their produce and furs for the English hunting dogs the settlers raised.”
The event ended during the Revolutionary War before the chamber of commerce revived the Dog Mart in 1928.
Organizers said 7,000 people and more than 600 dogs attended the event in 1938. In 1949, more than 15,000 people came to the Maury stadium to share their appreciation for dogs.
When the school shut down in 1980, the building was left in a state of flux. Though local high schools continued to use the stadium, there was no immediate plans for the school building itself.
In 2005, then-Mayor Tom Tomzak and the city council invited developers to propose ideas for the building through a public-private partnership, according to an article from the Free Lance-Star.
“Like the old sea dog himself, it’s now time to persist, get the job done, and create a path into the future for a Fredericksburg icon, Maury School,” the article said.
Any agreement would require the new developers to maintain the stadium, nearby park, and other historic elements.
In 2007, renovations were complete and the Maury Commons, a luxury condo building, opened.
Nowadays, the building hosts several condos that retain the school’s unique history. It even includes a rooftop deck that looks out onto the city, where thousands of residents share memories of the 104-year-old school.
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