Boys High School is a historic and architecturally notable public school building in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood of

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, United States. It is regarded as "one of Brooklyn's finest buildings".

Architecture

The

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

building is richly decorated in

terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...

somewhat in the style of

Louis Sullivan Louis Henry Sullivan (September 3, 1856 – April 14, 1924) was an American architect, and has been called a "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism". He was an influential architect of the Chicago School, a mentor to Frank Lloy ...

. The building is admired for its round corner tower, dormers, and soaring campanile. The building was erected in 1891 on the west side of Marcy Avenue between Putnam Avenue and Madison Street. It was designed by James W. Naughton, Superintendent of Buildings for the Board of Education of the City of Brooklyn.An architectural guidebook to Brooklyn,

Francis Morrone Francis Morrone (born 12 May 1958) is an American architectural historian of Irish and Italian ancestry, originally from Chicago, known for his work on the built history of New York City. Morrone's essays on architecture have appeared in ''The Wall ...

, Photographs by James Iska, Gibbs Smith, 2001, p. 37. The building is regarded as Naughton's "finest work.""Walkabout with Montrose: Master of Schools, JW Naughton,"
September 8, 2009, Brownstoner. When Boys High was landmarked by the

New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission 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 ...

in 1975, the commission called it "one of the finest Romanesque Revival style buildings in the city". It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

on February 25, 1982. The building was the exterior filming location for the

Knickerbocker Hospital The Knickerbocker Hospital was a 228-bed hospital in New York City located at 70 Convent Avenue, corner of West 131st Street in Harlem, serving primarily poor and immigrant patients. History Founded in 1862 as the Manhattan Dispensary, it ser ...

in the television show ''

The Knick ''The Knick'' is an American medical period drama television series on Cinemax created by Jack Amiel and Michael Begler and directed by Steven Soderbergh. The series follows Dr. John W. Thackery ( Clive Owen) and the staff at a fictionalized ...

''.

School

In 1975, the same year the building was landmarked, Boys High merged with

Girls' High School Girls High School is a historically and architecturally notable public secondary school building located at 475 Nostrand Avenue in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. It was built in 1886.''Brooklyn: a soup-to-nuts ...

to become

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, United States. The school is located at 1700 Fulton Street. As of the 2014–15 school year, the ...

. Boys and Girls High School immediately moved to a new building at Fulton Street and

Utica Avenue Utica Avenue is a major avenue in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States. It is one of several named for the city of Utica in Upstate New York. It runs north–south and occupies the position of East 50th Street in the Brooklyn street ...

. The school was a college preparatory program with high academic standards. Congressman

Emanuel Celler Emanuel Celler (May 6, 1888 – January 15, 1981) was an American politician from New York who served in the United States House of Representatives for almost 50 years, from March 1923 to January 1973. He served as the dean of the United States H ...

described Boys High in his autobiography, "I went to Boys' High School — naturally. I say "naturally" because Boys' High School then, as now, was the high school of scholarships. Boys of Brooklyn today will tell you, "It's a hard school." It was highly competitive..." Another Boys High graduate remembered that "I went to Boys High School in Brooklyn, a great school. It was out of the classic tradition. I guess eighty percent of the student body had to take Latin — we didn't have to; we elected Latin, because we felt it was expected of us."

Notable alumni

* Isaac Asimov (1920–1992), author *

John Barsha John F. Barsha (born Abraham Barshofsky, December 25, 1898 – February 18, 1976), was a Russian-American professional American football fullback who played for the Rochester Jeffersons of the American Professional Football Association (APFA) an ...

(born Abraham Barshofsky; 1898–1976), American professional football player *

Jules Bender Jules Bender (1914 – January 13, 1982) was an American collegiate and professional basketball player. He was an All-American at Long Island University, leading the Blackbirds to a 103–6 record over his career. Bender was a native of Brookly ...

(1914–1982), collegiate and professional basketball player * Himan Brown (1910–2010), producer of radio programs *

Anatole Broyard Anatole Paul Broyard (July 16, 1920 – October 11, 1990) was an American writer, literary critic, and editor who wrote for ''The New York Times''. In addition to his many reviews and columns, he published short stories, essays, and two books dur ...

(1920–1990), essayist, literary critic *

(1888–1981), U.S. Representative for almost 50 years *

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Com ...

(1900–1990), classical composer, composition teacher, writer, and conductor *

Howard Cosell Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...

(born Howard William Cohen, 1918–1995), television sports journalist * Mel Davis (born 1950), professional basketball player * Tommy Davis (born 1939), Major League Baseball player * I. A. L. Diamond (1920–1988), screenwriter * Martin Dobelle (1906–1986), orthopedic surgeon *

Hal Draper Hal Draper (born Harold Dubinsky; September 19, 1914 – January 26, 1990) was an American socialist activist and author who played a significant role in the Berkeley, California, Free Speech Movement. He is known for his extensive scholarship on t ...

(born Harold Dubinsky, 1914–1990), socialist activist and author * Ted Draper (1912–2006), historian and political writer *

Lee Farr Lee Farr (born Leon Farb; April 10, 1927 – March 23, 2017) was an American actor best known for his starring role as Lt. Jimmy Conway in the television series '' The Detectives'' during the 1950s and 1960s. Early years Farr was born Leon Far ...

(1927–2017), actor *

Leon Festinger Leon Festinger (8 May 1919 – 11 February 1989) was an American social psychologist who originated the theory of cognitive dissonance and social comparison theory. The rejection of the previously dominant behaviorist view of social psychology ...

(1919–1989), social psychologist * Mickey Fisher (1904/05–1963), basketball coach * Benjamin Graham (1894–1978), father of value investing *

Al Goldstein Alvin "Al" Goldstein (January 10, 1936December 19, 2013) was an American pornographer. He is known for helping normalize hardcore pornography in the United States. Background Goldstein was born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn to a Jewish family. He ...

(1936-2013), pornographer * Alfred Gottschalk (1930–2009), rabbi, leader in Reform Judaism movement * Jerome Anthony "Little Anthony" Gourdine (born 1941), lead singer of

The Imperials The Imperials are an American Christian music group that has been active for over 55 years. Originating as a southern gospel quartet, the innovative group would become pioneers of contemporary Christian music in the 1960s. There have been many ...

* Sihugo "Si" Green (1933–1980), professional basketball player * Ezra E. H. Griffith (born 1942), psychiatrist *

Daniel Gutman Daniel Gutman (July 1, 1901 – September 1993) was an American lawyer, politician, judge, and law school dean from New York. Early life Gutman was born on July 1, 1901, in New York. He attended Boys High School. He received his degree from Broo ...

(1901-1993), lawyer, state senator, state assemblyman, president justice of the municipal court, and law school dean. *

Connie Hawkins Cornelius Lance "Connie" Hawkins (July 17, 1942 – October 6, 2017) was an American professional basketball player. A New York City playground legend, "the Hawk" was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. Early ye ...

(1942–2017), basketball Hall of Famer *

Will Herberg William Herberg (June 30, 1901 – March 26, 1977) was an American writer, intellectual and scholar. A communist political activist during his early years, Herberg gained wider public recognition as a social philosopher and sociologist of relig ...

(1901–1977), political activist, philosopher, and author * Gene Kelly (1918–1979), major league sportscaster * W. Langdon Kihn (1898–1957), portrait painter and illustrator *

Morris Kline Morris Kline (May 1, 1908 – June 10, 1992) was a professor of mathematics, a writer on the history, philosophy, and teaching of mathematics, and also a popularizer of mathematical subjects. Education and career Kline was born to a Jewish fami ...

(1908–1992), professor of mathematics * Joseph Isaac Kramer (1924–2021), doctor *

Benjamin Lax Benjamin Lax (29 December 1915, Miskolc, Hungary – 21 April 2015, Newton, Massachusetts) was a solid-state and plasma physicist. (with selected bibliography) Biography Benjamin Lax immigrated in 1926 with his family to the United States. After ...

(1915–2015), physicist elected to National Academy of Sciences *

William Levitt William Jaird Levitt (February 11, 1907 – January 28, 1994) was an American real-estate developer and housing pioneer. As president of Levitt & Sons, he is widely credited as the father of modern American suburbia. He was named one of ''Time ...

(1907–1994), developer of

Levittown Levittown is the name of several large suburban housing developments created in the United States (including one in Puerto Rico) by William J. Levitt and his company Levitt & Sons. Built after World War II for returning white veterans and their ...

* Harry E. Lewis (1880–1948), lawyer, Brooklyn district attorney, New York Supreme Court Justice * Norman Lloyd (1914–2021), actor, director and producer * Norman Mailer (1923–2007), novelist, journalist, playwright, screenwriter, actor and film director *

Mickey Marcus David Daniel "Mickey" Marcus (22 February 1901 – 10 June 1948) was a United States Army colonel, later Israel's first General, who was a principal architect of the U.S. military's World War II civil affairs policies,Ossad, Steven L."Out of the ...

(1901–1948), US Army colonel who became Israel's first general * Ernest Martin (born 1932), theatre director and manager, actor * Abraham Maslow (1908–1970), professor of psychology *

Will Maslow Will Maslow (September 27, 1907 – February 23, 2007) was an American lawyer and civil rights leader who fought for "full equality in a free society" for Jews, blacks, and other minorities at positions he held in government and as an executive of ...

(1907–2007), lawyer and civil rights leader * Sean Michaels (born 1958), pornographic actor *

Irving Mondschein Irving "Moon" Mondschein (February 7, 1924 – June 5, 2015) was an American track and field athlete and football player. Personal life Mondschein, who was Jewish, was born in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Boys High School, where he ran track. ...

(1924–2015), track and field champion *

Jack Newfield Jack Abraham Newfield (February 18, 1938 – December 21, 2004) was an American journalist, columnist, author, documentary filmmaker and activist. Newfield wrote for the ''Village Voice'', ''New York Daily News'', ''New York Post'', ''New Y ...

(1938-2004), journalist *

Man Ray Man Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky; August 27, 1890 – November 18, 1976) was an American visual artist who spent most of his career in Paris. He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealist movements, although his ties to eac ...

(born Emmanuel Radnitzky, 1890–1976), artist *

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He work ...

(1924–2007), jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer *

Meyer Schapiro Meyer Schapiro (23 September 1904 – 3 March 1996) was a Lithuanian-born American art historian known for developing new art historical methodologies that incorporated an interdisciplinary approach to the study of works of art. An expert on earl ...

(1904-1996), art historian *

Aubrey Schenck Aubrey Schenck (August 26, 1908, New York City – April 14, 1999, Murrieta, California) was an American film producer from the 1940s through the 1970s. Biography The son of George Schenck, a Russian immigrant theatrical manager, and Mary Schen ...

(1908–1999), motion picture producer *

Allie Sherman Alex "Allie" Sherman (February 10, 1923 – January 3, 2015) was an American football player and coach who played 51 games in six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) as a quarterback and defensive back, and afterward served as head coa ...

(1923–2015), National Football League player and head coach *

Meier Steinbrink Meier Steinbrink (February 28, 1880 – December 7, 1967) was a Jewish-American lawyer and judge from New York. Life Steinbrink was born on February 28, 1880 in New York City, New York, the son of Samuel Steinbrink and Fredricka Stern. His father ...

(1880–1967), lawyer and New York Supreme Court Justice * Fred Thompson (1933–2019) Hall of Fame Track and Field Coach *

Lawrence Tierney Lawrence James Tierney (March 15, 1919 – February 26, 2002) was an American film and television actor who is best known for his many screen portrayals of mobsters and tough guys in a career that spanned over 50 years. His roles mirrored his ...

(1919-2002), movie actor * Alexander S. Wiener (1907–1976), leader in fields of forensic medicine, serology, and immunogenetics *

Lenny Wilkens Leonard Randolph Wilkens (born October 28, 1937) is an American former basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been inducted three times into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, first in 1989 as ...

(born 1937), NBA player and coach; Hall of Fame player and coach *

Izzy Yablok Julius "Izzy" Yablok (July 28, 1907 – August 14, 1983) was an American football back who played two seasons in the National Football League with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Staten Island Stapletons. He played college football at Colgate Universi ...

(1907–1983), football player

Distinguished faculty

* Mickey Fisher (1935-1962), Basketball coach made the Final Four every year from 1956 to 1962, coach of the Israeli Men's Olympic basketball team, Rome 1960. *James Sullivan (1873-1931), Principal (1907-1916), later Director of the YMCA for the American Expeditionary Forces, New York State Historian, and Director of Archives and History.

References

External links