Since 1901, this site has been home to a school serving students in the Terrell area, chosen for children living north of the nearby Texas and Pacific Railway tracks. A two-story building called the North Primary School was completed here in September 1901 at a cost of $9,000, with six classrooms and facilities for 300 pupils. As enrollment grew over the years, greater demands were placed on this and other schools. In 1931, the Terrell School Board decided to erect new school buildings with financial assistance from the Public Works Administration. The present primary school, completed in 1936, was designed by Dallas architect Mark Lemmon and included 14 classrooms and an auditorium with a 12-foot stage. Still in use, the building is a fine example of Georgian revival architecture, with a five-bay primary facade, rounded pedimented entry doors, round-arch windows on the auditorium, and chimney-like features at the gable ends. In 1979, the school was renamed in honor of Superintendent John E. Langwith, who served the Terrell School District from 1923 to 1959.