Girls' High School was a public high school in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York. It was located in a historically and architecturally notable building located at 475 Nostrand Avenue in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood. It was built in 1886.''Brooklyn: a soup-to-nuts guide,'' Ellen Freudenheim, Macmillan, 1999, p. 31."19th Century,"
NYC Department of Education.

History

Girls' High School grew out of Brooklyn's first public secondary school, the Central Grammar School (sometimes known as the Central School or the Central High School), which was founded in 1878 and located at Court and Livingston Streets. The first principal of the Central Grammar School was Dr. Robert F. Leighton. The school's enrollment outgrew its quarters and it was determined that a new building was needed. By the time of the building's completion in 1886, however, the student population had grown so large that only the girl students moved into the new building, under the principalship of Calvin Patterson. The boy students remained at the old building under Principal Alec G. McAllister. In 1889, Girls' High officially adopted "Labor et Honore" as their motto, following the suggestion of Mrs. Lucy T. Lewis. In 1891, the girls' section officially became Girls' High School and the boys' section became Boys' High School, which moved into its own new building in 1892. Under Principal Patterson, there were strict rules at Girls' High, including no running, no athletics, no dancing and no parties. In 1902, Calvin Patterson died. He was succeeded by Dr. William L. Felter. Under Felter's leadership, clubs and leisure activities were established at the school. In 1908, longtime teacher Rowena K. Keyes composed the school song. Dr. Felter retired in 1933 and was succeeded by Maurice E. Rogalin, who served as principal until 1936."School History," 1953; Girls' High School collection, ARC.128, Box 3, Folder 7; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History. Rowena K. Keyes was principal from 1937-1943, followed by Edith M. Ward (1944-1946), Hortense H. Levisohn (1946-1954), and Irvin Sulo Hecht (1954-1964), with Jordan Hale serving as acting principal from 1956-1957."School History," 1958; Girls' High School collection, ARC.128, Box 3, Folder 7; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History. In 1975 the school merged with

Boys High School Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education and gender-isolated education, is the practice of conducting education with male and female students attending separate classes, perhaps in separate buildings or schools. The practice of ...

and moved to a new building at Fulton Street and Utica Avenue as the Boys and Girls High School."Boys High School And Historic Dock Made Landmarks; Boys High And a Dock Are Cited, Joseph P. Fried,October 5, 1975, New York Times.

Building

The building was designed by

James W. Naughton James W. Naughton (1840–1898) was an American architect, serving as 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 wor ...

, Superintendent of Buildings for the Board of Education of the City of Brooklyn."19th Century,"
NYC Department of Education. It is regarded as a "masterpiece" of Victorian Gothic style, blending

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

and French Second Empire styles, the Second Empire influence is visible in the mansard roof, the Gothic influence in the pointed arch windows."Walkabout with Montrose: Master of Schools, JW Naughton,"
September 8, 2009, Brownstoner. 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."Brooklyn: a state of mind," Michael W. Robbins, Wendy Palitz, Workman Publishing, 2001, p. 228. The building is a designated

New York City landmark The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...

Reputation

According to the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', 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.""A Model High School; Fame of the One for Brooklyn Girls Widespread. High Honors for its Graduates: The Building Carefully Equipped — Instructors of Large Experience — A Handsome Assembly Hall", April 7, 1895, ''New York Times'' 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. Congresswoman

Shirley Chisholm Shirley Anita Chisholm ( ; ; November 30, 1924 – January 1, 2005) was an American politician who, in 1968, became the first black woman to be elected to the United States Congress. Chisholm represented New York's 12th congressional distr ...

, 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."''Unbought and Unbossed: Expanded 40th Anniversary Edition, Shirley Chisholm, Take Root Media'', 2010, p. 38.

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...

attended the "integrated" and "highly prestigious" high school a few years before Chisholm.

Notable alumnae

Léonie Adams Léonie Fuller Adams (December 9, 1899 – June 27, 1988) was an American poet. She was appointed the seventh Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1948. Biography Adams was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in a ...

(1899-1988), poet *

Gwendolyn B. Bennett Gwendolyn B. Bennett (July 8, 1902 – May 30, 1981) was an American artist, writer, and journalist who contributed to '' Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life'', which chronicled cultural advancements during the Harlem Renaissance. Though often ...

(1902–1981), artist, writer and journalist who was the school's first African-American attendee. * Carol Bruce (1919–2007), singer and actress *

(1924–2005, class of 1942), congresswoman. * Helen Deutsch (1906-1992), screenwriter * Florence Eldridge (1901-1988), actress *

(1917–2010), singer and actress *

Martha Lorber Martha Caroline Theresa Lorber (June 11, 1900 – July 2, 1983) was an American dancer, actress, singer, model, and Ziegfeld Girl. Early life Martha Caroline Theresa Lorber was born in New York City, to Frederick, a waiter, and Marie Lorber (n� ...

(1900–1983), dancer, actress, model *

Paule Marshall Paule Marshall (April 9, 1929 – August 12, 2019) was an American writer, best known for her 1959 debut novel '' Brown Girl, Brownstones''. In 1992, at the age of 63, Marshall was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship grant. Life and career Marshall wa ...

(1929–2019), novelist *

Jean Nidetch Jean Evelyn Nidetch (née Slutsky, October 12, 1923 – April 29, 2015) was an American business entrepreneur who was the founder of the Weight Watchers organization. Early life Jean Nidetch was born on October 12, 1923 in the New York City boro ...

(1923–2015), founder of

Weight Watchers Weight Watchers or WW may refer to: * Weight Watchers (diet), a comprehensive weight loss program and diet * WW International WW International, Inc., formerly Weight Watchers International, Inc., is a global company headquartered in the U.S. tha ...

Jean Norris Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Je ...

(1877-1955), first woman magistrate in New York City *

Laura Riding Laura Riding Jackson (born Laura Reichenthal; January 16, 1901 – September 2, 1991), best known as Laura Riding, was an American poet, critic, novelist, essayist and short story writer. Early life She was born in New York City to Nathan ...

(1901–1991), poet * Beverly Roberts (1914-2009), actress * Roxie Roker (1929–1995), actress and mother of

Lenny Kravitz Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. His style incorporates elements of rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, pop and folk. Kravitz won the Grammy Award for Best Male Roc ...

* Betty Smith (1896–1972), author of '' A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'' * Lilyan Tashman (1896–1934), actress * Shirley Zussman (1914-2021), sex therapist."Obituary: Shirley Zussman"
Dignity Memorial. Accessed January 3, 2022. "Her family soon moved to Brooklyn where Shirley lived until graduating high school at Girl’s High."

References

{{authority control Defunct schools in New York City New York City Designated Landmarks in Brooklyn School buildings completed in 1886 Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Public high schools in Brooklyn Defunct high schools in Brooklyn