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Over one hundred years ago, in 1897, the Upper West Side was becoming quite a gleam in the developers' eye. The Boulevard, as Broadway was called in the early days, had pushed its way to the ends of Manhattan. Hundreds of one-family brownstones lined the cobblestoned streets, tenements were being constructed to house the hordes of immigrants who flocked to our shores, and luxury buildings were following the path of the Dakota to entrench themselves in this area between Central Park and the Hudson River. With the advent of buildings came the advent of families, and this meant children who needed schools. In the period around the turn of the century over five new schools were built in this area. CBJ Snyder, architect and supervisor of schools was responsible for these, as well as many others throughout Manhattan. It is his Collegiate Gothic style, with its high ceilings, airy rooms and sweeping staircases, that enhances our lives today.
PS 166 was completed in time for the incoming students of the 1898-99 school year.
In the early 1970s, the Board of Education, thinking perhaps that the building located at 132 West 89th Street was not suitable for educating youngsters in the years to come, tried to close down the school, planning to replace it with a new building to be constructed on Columbus Avenue where the Centra stands today. The school's staff, students and parents arose in horror and went as a body several times to the Board of Education and City Hall to petition for our building and for the continuation of our school where it now remains. We were successful!
In 1986, Landmarks West, in its promotion to landmark the beautiful buildings of the Upper West Side, proposed PS 166 as a candidate for landmarking status. We were featured in their first major publication and had our first landmark hearing. This year, on September 27, thanks to the work of Landmarks West and the administration, staff, students and parents of 166, we were granted official LANDMARK status. To quote from Landmark West's latest journal:
"Here, our source of pride: PS 166 is where Landmark West first piloted our extraordinary 'My Preservations' Journal introducing fourth and sixth graders to the world of architecture and preservation while strengthening their aesthetic judgment, analytical and creative thinking skills, and general cultural awareness. On Tuesday, May 23, 2000, thirty 5th grade students took the subway to participate in the Landmarks Preservation Commission's designation hearing for PS 166. Five students testified (they wrote their own testimony) in favor of designating their school. We look forward to sharing an emotional moment with the students when the handsome bronze plaque is placed on the school's façade to commemorate the designation."
This commemoration will take place on January 19, 2001 at 11:30 AM.
[Judith Rohn, staff member, former PS166 parent and W. 89 street resident]
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