The High School of Commerce

1902 - 1968

Established by the New York City Board of Education in 1902, The High School of Commerce was one of the first secondary institutions of its kind in the nation. Organized to prepare young men for careers in business and commerce or advanced education on the university level, The High School of Commerce offered students a rigorous comprehensive education through courses ranging in focus from biology to bookkeeping to Medieval history. Designed by renown school architect C.B.J. Snyder and filled to capacity shortly after its opening, The High School of Commerce featured a library, museum and school gym. By the 1950s, the student body was predominately Black and Puerto Rican. With declining enrollments at mid-century, the school absorbed female students from nearby Haaren High School. In 1965, the old wing of the school on West 65th Street was razed to make space for construction of the new Juilliard School of Music as part of the expansion of Lincoln Center. By 1968, the other half of the high school had been demolished. Students initially were reassigned to West Shore High School (later renamed Martin Luther King Jr. High School), but were eventually sent to Louis D. Brandeis High School.

Second Floor, High School of Commerce
First Floor, High School of Commerce
High School of Commerce, Exterior
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Details

Category
School
Instructional Level
High School
Corporate Body
New York City Board of Education
Tags
coeducational, consolidation, vocational, disrepair, boys, LincolnCenter, PuertoRican, Black, C.B.JSnyder, architecture

Connections

Location

  • 155 W 65th St, New York, NY 10023, USA
    1902 - 1968

Archival Collections

References

  1. "$7.6 Million School to Bear King Name." Los Angeles Sentinel (1934-2005), Apr 25, 1968. http://ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/docview/564875302?accountid=10226.
  2. "Board Pick a Site for High School." New York Times (1923-Current File),Nov 18, 1965. http://ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/docview/117037021?accountid=10226
  3. Broms, Wilbur S. "Haves-have-Nots." New York Amsterdam News (1962-1993), Apr 08, 1967. http://ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/docview/226625796?accountid=10226.
  4. "City Pupil Wins Fight to Attend 'Better Integrated' High School." New York Times (1923-Current File), Feb 09, 1962. http://ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/docview/115644210?accountid=10226
  5. Farrell, William E. "Groups Lose Plea on Commerce High." New York Times (1923-Current File), Jun 12, 1965. http://ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/docview/116728747?accountid=10226.
  6. Heydrick, Benjamin A. and Mark I. Markett. The History of the High School of Commerce, 1902-1927. New York City: The High School of Commerce, 1927.
  7. Jackson, Kenneth T., and Flood, Nancy, eds. The Encyclopedia of New York City. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2010.
  8. Kaplan, Morris. "One School Finds Police Aid Useful." New York Times (1923-Current File), Feb 04, 1958. http://ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/docview/114375077?accountid=10226.
  9. Locke, George H. "The High School of Commerce, New York City." The School Review 11, no. 7 (1903): 555-62. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1075231.
  10. "New York City's Great High School of Commerce." The School Journal 69, no. 11(October 1904): 297-302.
  11. "Revamping Approved for 3 High Schools." New York Times (1923-Current File), May 25, 1944. http://ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/docview/106877729?accountid=10226.