The Franklin Elementary School opened in 1911 and is a direct descendant of the original Franklin School in St. Louis; which was located one block to the southeast of the current site. Named for American statesman Benjamin Franklin, the school was designed by renowned school architect William B. Ittner, a native of St. Louis. Known as the father of modern school architecture, Ittner designed over 500 schools throughout the United States including 60 in his home town of St. Louis.

The Franklin Elementary School was unique for its time. It represented the first local attempt by the school board to integrate vocational programs into an elementary school setting. This success led to the school's transition into Franklin Intermediate School in 1923, for students in the junior-high age range.

In 1934, the school board moved to create a vocational high school for African-Americans that utilized the Franklin building and its pre-existing shop space.

By 1936, the Franklin School was re-named the Booker T. Washington Vocational School, with the building receiving an addition on the northeast corner to be used as an auto shop. The vocational programs were versatile for the time period, offering courses during the day and night for boys and girls ages 14–21.

In 1956 the school board voted to "reconvert" Booker T. Washington back to Franklin Elementary School and it remained so until 1980.
From 1980–1993, The Franklin School Building served as a magnet school, and reopened in 1994 as a continued Education high school for one year. After the 1994-95 school year, the Franklin School Building officially closed its doors.