Bayside High School

March 16, 1936 - present

From 1934-1936, the New York City Board of Education built Bayside High School (BHS). BHS was the first school building in the city that was funded by the federal government using Public Works Funding, costing $2.5 million, under the Public Works Administration. The school was constructed to provide jobs during the Great Depression and to relieve overcrowding from neighboring schools. The architectural design of the building and campus was intended to emulate “a collegiate character", paid consideration to “practical innovations for the health and safety of children and for the economy in building maintenance,” and accommodated 4,000 students. Additionally, architects devoted space in and outside the building for physical activity, including a pool and gymnasiums within the building and an athletic field in the back of the school. The designs for BHS were used to construct another Queens high school, two high schools in the Bronx, and one high school in Brooklyn. When BHS opened on March 16, 1936, it welcomed 2,300 students who previously attended Flushing High School. Since its opening, the building has served as an Evening Recreational Center to youth and adults. Today, Bayside High School serves around 3,000 students in grades 9-12 and offers a multitude of academic programs ranging from Environmental Engineering, to Music: Performance & Production, to Sports Medicine & Management .

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Details

Category
School
Instructional Level
High School
Audience
Teenagers
Corporate Body
New York City Board of Education
Tags
BoardofEducation, athletics, recreation, NewDeal

Location

  • 32-24 Corporal Kennedy Street, Bayside, NY 11361
    March 16, 1936 - present

References

  1. “Bayside High School - Bayside NY.” Living New Deal, January 31, 2018. https://livingnewdeal.org/projects/bayside-high-school-bayside-ny/.
  2. “New High Schools to Have Campuses: Architectural Plan of Jackson Building and Three Others to Be Collegiate in Style.” New York Times, December 27, 1931. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1931/12/27/96922914.pdf
  3. Tomkins, Richard. “Program Speeded for New Schools.” New York Times, October 13, 1935. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1935/10/13/93493029.pdf
  4. Community Council of Greater New York. “Queens Communities Population Characteristics and Neighborhood Social Resources Volume II.” The Berman Archive at Stanford University. January 1, 1958. https://www.bjpa.org/bjpa/search-results?search=population+characteristics+and+neighborhood+social+resources
  5. “Bayside High School.” Home Page - Bayside High School. Accessed April 26, 2023. https://www.baysidehighschool.org/.