Built in 1935-36 as part of a Works Progress Administration sponsored expansion program involving Fort Worth’s public schools, Riverside High School was named after Amon G. Carter in 1941 by a unanimous vote of the school board. The board named the high school after Mr. Carter, an important Fort Worth civic and business leader, “in appreciation for his efforts in behalf of the local public schools.” Before the construction of Riverside High School, students in the Riverside area had to attend Central, Polytechnic or North Side Senior High Schools.
Built on a twenty acre site, the three-story H-plan structure has 29 classrooms and an auditorium, gymnasium and library. The $450,000 structure was designed by Wyatt C. Hedrick, an important Fort Worth architect who designed many of Fort Worth’s finest public school buildings in addition to much of Texas Christian University. Faced in yellow brick, with a red tiled hipped roof;, the high school has particularly fine aggregate cast stone trim and ornamentation. The gabled main entrance bay has a two-story, central round arch opening framed by double pilasters, frieze, finials, and inset medallions. Seven round arch windows with architrave surrounds form a lively arcade at the third story. Elaborate Spanish baroque surrounds also ornament the subsidiary entrances near the end wings. Mr. Hedrick designed several additions to the school between 1949 and 1954. Amon Carter Riverside High School has been awarded a Texas Historical Marker. The school’s original wood sash win-dows have been replaced. With restoration of the original window configuration, the school may be eligible for the National Register because of its architectural merit and contribute to the proposed Public Schools National Register Thematic Group.