Formal education for African American children in Christiana began in the 1880s with the construction of a one-room schoolhouse. At a time when many African American schools had dilapidated facilities, no running water, insufficient lighting, and poor heating, philanthropist P.S. du Pont devoted much of his wealth in the 1920s to renovating and rebuilding such schools, and Christiana Public School #111-C was one of the first of more than 80 schools to benefit. Designed by the New Jersey architectural firm Guilbert and Betelle, construction began on April 20, 1920, and was completed on September 6, 1920. The one-story Colonial Revival building was a one-teacher school with a main classroom and three smaller rooms for the furnace, washrooms, and a work and lunch room. Enrollment during the 1920-1921 school year was twenty-eight students. William T. Neal and Esther Neal, whose family was one of the first African American families in Christiana, sold the two acres required for the new school site. After the school closed around 1952, the building often served the community for parties, dances, and picnics, with upkeep and use overseen by the Christiana Community of #111-C, formed by local citizens when the school closed. After a devastating fire on February 1, 1990, former student Lavenia (Neal) Cole led efforts to renovate the property, and the Christiana #111-C Community Center Restoration Committee has continued working to restore it. The school was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 18, 1979.