Erasmus was founded by Dutch settlers in 1786, and the original Academy building is still standing in the courtyard (you can just catch a glimpse of it through the gated entryway) of the grand, Gothic-style campus that was built after Erasmus was donated to the public school system. The building pictured here was the first part of that campus to be constructed, and it was opened in 1906.
If this photo looks familiar to you, it's because both schools were designed by Charles B.J. Snyder during his prolific tenure as NYC's Superintendent of School Buildings from 1891 to 1923. His lofty ideals for municipal architecture revolutionized the school system and "symbolized the commitment of the city to care for and even uplift its citizens", according to the NY Times.
(As you may recall, I passed by the backside of Erasmus on Bedford Avenue last month.)
Like Morris and Erasmus, Newtown is one of Charles B.J. Snyder's soaring civic monuments.
PS 32 in the Bronx is yet another one of Charles B.J. Snyder's magnificent designs.
The home of Stuyvesant High School from 1907 to 1992, this beautiful building was — not surprisingly — designed by Charles B.J. Snyder.
PS 31 ain't lookin' so swell these days. Another in the long list of Charles B.J. Snyder's masterpieces, it closed more than 15 years ago and has been falling into ruin ever since.
Opened in 1913 at Hunter College (then known as Normal College), this Lexington Avenue castle was built to house an elementary school and a high school, and was designed by — who else? — Charles B.J. Snyder.
This long-vacant school, designed by Charles B.J. Snyder, has been closed since 1975. The Boys and Girls Club of Harlem bought the property in 1986 and has just let it deteriorate ever since. (You can see some beautiful photos of the decaying interior here.) Back in 2010, the Boys and Girls Club claimed that the building was too dilapidated to be salvaged and would have to be demolished to make redevelopment of the site financially feasible, but now the club is talking about preserving the structure, turning it into a new hub for the club along with 81 mostly low-income residential units.
This Charles B.J. Snyder-designed former elementary school has been converted into a 73-unit apartment building "with soaring arched windows and ceiling heights of 15 feet".
Closed since the mid-1990s, this 1898 public school designed by Charles B.J. Snyder will soon be reopened as an affordable apartment building for artists and their families.
