Girls High School
Encyclopedia
Girls' High School is an historically and architecturally notable public secondary school building located at 475 Nostrand Avenue
in the Bedford–Stuyvesant, neighborhood of Brooklyn
, New York. It was built in 1886 and is the oldest public high school building in New York City
that is still standing.
The building was designed by James W. Naughton
, Superintendent of Buildings for the Board of Education of the City of Brooklyn. It is regarded as a "masterpiece" of Victorian Gothic style, blending Gothic Revival
and French Second Empire styles, the Second Empire influence is visible in the mansard roof, the Gothic influence in the pointed arch
windows. The building, which was intended to house the boys' and girls' high schools in two separate wings, features two pavilions built around a central entrance that rises into a bell tower. By the time the school opened, enrollment had increased to the point where it was decided to use this building for the girls and build a separate Boy's High School. In 1975 the school merged with Brooklyn Boys High School
and moved to a new building at Fulton Street
and Utica Avenue
as the Boys and Girls High School
.
According the New York Times, in 1895 it was "the ambition of every Brooklyn girl... to enter the Girls' High School where she may enjoy the advantages of an advanced education and be prepared for college." The girls were offered courses in Latin, Greek, German, French, botany, zoology, physics, chemistry, astronomy, physiology, psychology, algebra, geometry, calculus; ancient, medieval and modern history; economics, and classes in the "literary masterpieces, both American and English." The article featured a large, detailed drawing of the building which was described as being "one of the finest, from an architectural point of view, in the country, and it is said not to be excelled for completeness of appointments anywhere. the Mayor called it "the foremost institution of its kind in the world," and the Times asserted that "representatives of secondary schools in other cities of this country and in Europe... concurred" with the Mayor in that opinion.
Girls' High is a designated New York City landmark.
Congresswoman Shirley Chisolm, who entered in the fall of 1939, remembered that students came to Girls' High from all parts of Brooklyn because the school was so "highly regarded." In her time, the school was "all girls, about half of them were white, but the neighborhood by now was nearly all black." Lena Horne
attended the "integrated" and "highly prestigious" high school a few years before Chisolm.
Nostrand Avenue
Nostrand Avenue is a major street in Brooklyn, New York, that runs north from Emmons Avenue in Sheepshead Bay to Flushing Avenue in Williamsburg, where it continues as Lee Avenue. From Flushing Avenue to Farragut Road, Nostrand Avenue is a two-lane street...
in the Bedford–Stuyvesant, neighborhood of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York. It was built in 1886 and is the oldest public high school building in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
that is still standing.
The building was designed by James W. Naughton
James W. Naughton
James W. Naughton was an American architect, the Superintendent of Buildings for the Board of Education of the City of Brooklyn. He was born in Ireland and immigrated to the United States in 1848, at age eight. He worked as an apprentice in the office of J & A Douglas in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ...
, Superintendent of Buildings for the Board of Education of the City of Brooklyn. It is regarded as a "masterpiece" of Victorian Gothic style, blending Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
and French Second Empire styles, the Second Empire influence is visible in the mansard roof, the Gothic influence in the pointed arch
Ogive
An ogive is the roundly tapered end of a two-dimensional or three-dimensional object.-Applied physical science and engineering:In ballistics or aerodynamics, an ogive is a pointed, curved surface mainly used to form the approximately streamlined nose of a bullet or other projectile.The traditional...
windows. The building, which was intended to house the boys' and girls' high schools in two separate wings, features two pavilions built around a central entrance that rises into a bell tower. By the time the school opened, enrollment had increased to the point where it was decided to use this building for the girls and build a separate Boy's High School. In 1975 the school merged with Brooklyn Boys High School
Boys High School
Boys High School is an historic and architecturally notable public school building in the Bedford–Stuyvesant, neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. It is regarded as "one of Brooklyn's finest buildings.-Architecture:...
and moved to a new building at Fulton Street
Fulton Street
-New Orleans:Fulton Street is a pedestrian mall in the New Orleans Central Business District.-New York City:In New York City, the name is frequently associated with Robert Fulton, who invented a steam boat...
and Utica Avenue
Utica Avenue
Utica Avenue is a major avenue in Brooklyn, New York, one of several named for cities in Upstate New York. It runs north–south with its south end at Flatbush Avenue, and is continued by Malcolm X Boulevard in Bedford-Stuyvesant north of Eastern Parkway....
as the Boys and Girls High School
Boys and Girls High School
Boys and Girls High School, the oldest public high school in Brooklyn, is a comprehensive high school in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York...
.
According the New York Times, in 1895 it was "the ambition of every Brooklyn girl... to enter the Girls' High School where she may enjoy the advantages of an advanced education and be prepared for college." The girls were offered courses in Latin, Greek, German, French, botany, zoology, physics, chemistry, astronomy, physiology, psychology, algebra, geometry, calculus; ancient, medieval and modern history; economics, and classes in the "literary masterpieces, both American and English." The article featured a large, detailed drawing of the building which was described as being "one of the finest, from an architectural point of view, in the country, and it is said not to be excelled for completeness of appointments anywhere. the Mayor called it "the foremost institution of its kind in the world," and the Times asserted that "representatives of secondary schools in other cities of this country and in Europe... concurred" with the Mayor in that opinion.
Girls' High is a designated New York City landmark.
Congresswoman Shirley Chisolm, who entered in the fall of 1939, remembered that students came to Girls' High from all parts of Brooklyn because the school was so "highly regarded." In her time, the school was "all girls, about half of them were white, but the neighborhood by now was nearly all black." Lena Horne
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
attended the "integrated" and "highly prestigious" high school a few years before Chisolm.
Notable alumnae
- Shirley Chisolm
- Lena HorneLena HorneLena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
- Paule MarshallPaule MarshallPaule Marshall is an American author. She was born Valenza Pauline Burke in Brooklyn to Barbadian parents and educated at Girls High School, Brooklyn College and Hunter College . Early in her career, she wrote poetry, but later returned to prose...
- Betty SmithBetty SmithBetty Smith, née Elisabeth Wehner , was an American author.-Biography:Born on December 15, 1896 in Brooklyn, New York to German immigrants, she grew up poor in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and attended Girl's High School. These experiences served as the framework to her first novel, A Tree Grows in...
, author of A Tree Grows in BrooklynA Tree Grows in BrooklynA Tree Grows in Brooklyn may refer to:*A Tree Grows in Brooklyn , a novel by Betty Smith*A Tree Grows in Brooklyn , the cinema adaptation of the novel*A Tree Grows in Brooklyn , the stage adaptation of the novel... - Lilyan TashmanLilyan TashmanLilyan Tashman was a Brooklyn-born Jewish American vaudeville, Broadway, and film actress. Tashman was best known for her supporting roles as tongue-in-cheek villainesses and the bitchy 'other woman'...
