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Houston Public Library today held a groundbreaking celebration for The African American Library at the Gregory School. Community members joined Library staff, city officials and other representatives to commemorate the beginning of this long-anticipated renovation. Located in the building that served as the first public school for African-Americans in Houston, this historic building is being reconditioned to serve as a repository for historians, researchers, and the general public.

Through the Gregory School the Houston Public Library will provide an incomparable collection of multi-type resources including reference books, rare books, archival materials, exhibits, artifacts, oral histories, and innovative programs to document the history of the African-American experience in Houston and its surrounding areas.

“This has been a dream in the community for a long time,” said Mayor Bill White. “We are happy to be a part of helping to make it happen and honor an important part of Houston's heritage.”

“History must be conserved to honor a generation of people whose cultural heritage played a significant role in making the city of Houston what it is today and what it will be tomorrow,” said Dr. Rhea Brown Lawson, director of the Houston Public Library. “Their story of sacrifice, perseverance and achievements will be preserved and presented through various formats in The African American Library at the Gregory School, and will forever be protected and celebrated so that their legacy will not be lost or forgotten.”