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.
In less than 10 years, however, the wooden-framed building became so outdated that a Dallas Morning News article quoted several residents from Lansford Ave, Melbourne Ave, and Brunner Ave describing it as "an unattainable situation," "a shame to the Dallas school system" and "the worst school in all of Dallas."