Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts

June 1961 - present

Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts, colloquially called LaGuardia Arts, LaG!, or the Fame School, is an educational institution that has earned an international reputation for excellence. Its history began in 1936 when Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia started the High School of Music and Art, which merged with the School of Performing Arts in 1961. While these two schools both carried the LaGuardia Arts name for over two decades, New York City’s fiscal crises of the mid-1960s and mid-1970s delayed them from integrating fully and moving into the current site. Moreover, its 1984 move into 100 Amsterdam Avenue was challenging as its construction was unfinished and lasted another year. As the first free, publicly funded specialized art school in the States, LaGuardia Arts is a model for other arts-focused educational institutions. The highly selective admission process emphasizes talent, and its curriculum comprises a rigorous college prep program, combining a college-level curriculum with conservatory-level arts training. Today, LaGuardia Arts has over 2400 students from every social stratum, ethnicity, and culture. Notable alums include celebrated artists like Jennifer Aniston, Adrien Brody, Al Pacino, Timothée Chalamet, Wesley Snipes, Eartha Kitt, and Liza Minnelli.

A large, square-looking concrete building with small windows
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Details

Category
Professional school
Instructional Level
High School
Audience
Teenagers
Corporate Body
Board of Education
Tags
theater, music, drama, visualarts, boardofeducation, dance, mayor, vocational
Notes
Louis Wechsler (merged schools’ first Principal) The Board of Education honored Mayor LaGuardia posthumously by naming the school after him. Argentine architect Eduardo Catalano designed the building adjacent to Lincoln Center. These schools combined into LaGuardia Arts in 1961 yet remained in their original location until 1984: - The High School of Music & Art, informally known as "Music & Art" (or "M&A") at 443-465 West 135th Street - The High School of Performing Arts (informally known as "PA") at 120 West 46th Street

Location

  • 100 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10023, USA
    ? - ?

References

  1. https://www.laguardiahs.org/mission__history
  2. https://www.schools.nyc.gov/schools/M485
  3. Alban, P. W. (2013). Fiorello H. Laguardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts: A history [D.M.A., Boston University]. https://www.proquest.com/docview/1460482937/abstract/3DA8869E3719434CPQ/1
  4. https://famenetwork.com/laguardiaarts.php