Straubenmuller Textile High School

1919 - 1954

Straubenmuller Textile High School opened as the Textile High School in 1919. In 1931, under the influence of founder Julius Siegbert, it moved from its West 30 Street location to West18th Street. It was reclassified at that time as a grades nine to twelve high school rather than an industrial school. The new building included specialized equipment for students to learn about the manufacturing of textiles as well as a textiles research museum. Straubenmuller opened to serve the needs of the New York City textile industry by training future workers in all aspects of design, production, management, and retail. It included a full high school curriculum with many extracurriculars as well as textile and business trade classes. There were also special programs that gave students career preparation and leadership opportunities, such as a course where students ran a department store for a day. When school was not in session, a number of community groups used the auditorium, gym, and classrooms for evening schools, union meetings, art lectures, and exercise clubs.

Schoolgirls walking along street in front of Straubenmuller Textile High School, New York
Textile High School
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Details

Category
School
Instructional Level
High School
Audience
Teenagers
Founder(s)
Julius Siegbert
Corporate Body
New York City Board of Education
Tags
textile, vocational
Notes
In 1954 Straubenmuller became Charles Evans Hughes High School, which closed in 1981. Two years later, it reopened as High School for the Humanities. It was later renamed Bayard Rustin High School for the Humanities.

Connections

Location

  • 351 W 18th St, New York, NY 10011, USA
    1931 - 1954

Archival Collections

References

  1. Dooley, W.H. “New York City Textile High School.” The School Review 30, no. 4 (1922): 281-87. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1078099.
  2. Federal Writers’ Project. New York City Guide: A Comprehensive Guide to the Five Boroughs of the Metropolis. New York: Random House, 1939.
  3. “Night Classes Set in Trade Schools.” New York Times. October 12, 1939. http://ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/docview/108075412?accountid=10226.
  4. “School Gets New Name.” New York Times. October 18, 1947. http://ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/docview/108075412?accountid=10226.
  5. “Specialized High Schools in New York City.” Brooklyn: Board of Education of the City of New York, 1946.
  6. “Students to Attend Art Programs Today.” New York Times. May 9, 1947. http://ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/docview/107885561?accountid=10226.