A rendering of the proposed car barn on the campus of Spingarn High School.

The D.C. Historic Preservation Office recommended yesterday that Spingarn High School be designated a historic site, possibly complicating city plans to build a streetcar maintenance and training facility on the school’s campus on Benning Road NE.

In late September the Kingman Park Association filed a request for the school’s historic designation, saying that the imposing buildings and campus should join neighboring Langston Golf Course and Langston Terrace Dwellings in gaining the protections afforded by the status. The office agreed, saying that the school’s role in educating African American students while D.C. schools were segregated merits historic designation.

Of course, the designation comes right as D.C. is looking to finalize the design and start construction on a car barn that would service streetcars traveling up and down H Street NE and Benning Road. The historic designation means that any changes to the campus—including the construction of the carbarn—would require review from the Historic Preservation Review Board. In October, D.C. officials warned that any delays caused by the reviews could push the planned opening of the city’s first streetcar line into 2014.

Earlier this month, though, the Historic Preservation Office opined that a new design submitted by the city for the car barn might meet historic standards, thus easing it over the regulatory hurdle. (D.C. officials have also said they’re exploring adding other historic flourishes, including historic streetcars.) Still, according to the Examiner, historic preservation officials have said that the new design still needs some work.

Some Ward 5 groups remain opposed to putting the car barn on Spingarn’s campus, but Mayor Vince Gray has said that it is the best and most cost-effective option.