In less than 10 years, however, the wood frame building was so obsolete that a Dallas Morning News story quoted several residents from Lansford Ave, Melbourne Ave and Brunner Ave calling it "an impossible condition," "a disgrace to the Dallas school system" and "the worst school in all Dallas." A modern brick structure with an iconic frieze opened in 1941, four years before the entirety of Elmwood was annexed by Dallas as part of a seven-square-mile annexation vote.
This situation led to a local newspaper reporting that several residents from nearby streets were expressing their discontent with the wooden-framed building, calling it "unrealistic," "an embarrassment to the school system," and "the worst in the city." A new brick structure with an iconic frieze was opened four years before the entire area was annexed by Dallas.