Demolition begins at old Pine Street school in Texarkana

TEXARKANA, Texas (KSLA) - Out with the old and in with the new. That’s what some leaders in Texarkana are saying as work begins on a nearly $200 million construction project.

Buildings are coming down on the campus of the old Pine Street school in Texarkana, Texas. In November of 2022, voters said yes to a $189 million bond election to turn the site into a new school.

“That is going to serve students at Highland Park and Spring Lake Park Elementary schools, so the old building is coming down and the new building will serve about 800 students will go in its place,” said Dr. Doug Brubaker, superintendent of Texarkana Independent School District.

Pine Street School was built around 1927 and served as the first location for Texarkana Community College. Dr. Brubaker said the original buildings no longer will stand, but the history will not go away.

“The old building really wasn’t salvageable, but there are artifacts that we are able to preserve from the old building that will go into a special display in the new facility,” he said.

Dr. Brubaker said they’re also preserving some of the bricks used to build the original facility.

“There are some people who have expressed interest in buying a brick as a memento of their time at Pine Street or Texas High, and we also talked about incorporating them in a non-structural way,” Dr. Brubaker said.

Demolition work is expected to be complete by April 1. No date has been set for groundbreaking ceremonies, but it’s hoped the new school will be ready in the fall of 2025.

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