Southside High School was the first graded school built in Lafayette and construction was completed in 1907. Proceeds from the first Lafayette Parish tax were used to build the structure which was located at the corner of Jefferson and Main downtown. When Lafayette High School was built on University Ave in 1926, Southside was used as an elementary school.

Reportedly For a short time after WWII, the National Guard was housed in the building. It also housed the public library before it was torn down to build the Federal Building.

Information about the original Southside High and photos were obtained from Facebook’s Lafayette Memories and posts by Craig Zimmerman.

Note that the newest Lafayette Parish public school, Southside High School, is located in Youngsville and opened in 2017. This current Southside High just celebrated its first graduating class of 2020.