This Act establishes the Justice Thurgood Marshall National Historic Site as an affiliated area of the National Park System. The site is the building known as Public School 103 at 1315 Division Street in Baltimore. The building is owned, operated, and managed by the Beloved Community Services Corporation, which will be the management entity. The Act sets the site's boundary as shown on a map numbered 962/194939 dated September 2024. The Secretary of the Interior may provide technical assistance and enter cooperative agreements with the management entity for marketing, interpretation, preservation, and financial assistance. The Secretary must enter into an agreement that defines roles and responsibilities and may not acquire the School or assume overall financial responsibility. The Act cites a National Park Service special resource study (initiated in 2019 and transmitted to Congress in 2023) that found the School met criteria for national significance and suitability.
The site will be officially recognized as an affiliated National Park System area. The local nonprofit will keep ownership and day-to-day management. Visitors may see preserved exhibits and interpretation about Thurgood Marshall. The Secretary may help with technical support and grant-like assistance, but will not take over the property or cover all operating costs.
The Act authorizes appropriations of “such sums as are necessary” to carry out the Act. No publicly available information on estimated total costs or funding levels.
The Act’s findings note that Thurgood Marshall led the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, argued many civil rights cases before the Supreme Court including Brown v. Board of Education, served as a federal judge and as Solicitor General, and was the first African American Supreme Court Justice. Supporters seek to preserve, protect, and interpret his historic contributions by designating his elementary school as a historic site. The National Park Service study found the School met criteria for national significance. The Beloved Community Services Corporation has restored the building for adaptive reuse.
No publicly available information.