Washington Irving High School (New York City)
Encyclopedia
Washington Irving High School is located at 40 Irving Place between East 16th and 17th Streets the lower part of the New York City
borough
of Manhattan
. The school is near the private Gramercy Park
to the north, the park at Stuyvesant Square
to the east, and Union Square
to the west, where students tend to linger after school.
(Bracebridge Hall
, Tales of a Traveller
). The building in which the school is located was designed by the architect C.B.J. Snyder
and built in 1913. The original building is eight stories high, though the extension on 16th Street designed by Walter C. Martin and built in 1938, is eleven stories high.
The school had been located on Lafayette Street, but SMD because the student population was growing at a rapid rate, a decision was made to move the school to another location, and land was purchased at 40 Irving Place. The school started out as a branch of Wadleigh High School, known at first as Girls' Technical High School, the first school for girls in the city. In 1913 the name changed to Washington Irving. Many years later the school became co-ed. Currently there are more than 2,000 students.
As of September 2009, the Washington Irving School Campus is shared by three independent schools: Washington Irving High School, The High School for Language and Diplomacy, and Gramercy Arts High School.
. In the middle of the lobby there is a grand decorative fireplace. The guests enter the building through the main door which is opposite the fireplace. Above the fireplace are statues of women carved from a single piece of white stone, however they are covered by the American flag. 2nd floor and above the walls are white, doors are red, and floors are black. The exterior is limestone
up to the 2nd story, then gray brick trimmed with limestone. On the corner of Irving Place and 17th Street is a bust of Washington Irving
by Friedrich Baer, which is featured on the school's ID. The exterior was used in the TV sit-com Head of the Class
. The school’s auditorium
is located is the middle, between the left and the right wings. It is usually accessed only from the lobby, but has seats on the second level. There are many performances held at the auditorium, by students and outside artists.
s while their belongings go through an security X-ray scanner. As per the New York City Schools Chancellor
's regulations, cell phones, MP3 players, and other electronic devices are currently banned in New York City public schools.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
borough
Borough (New York City)
New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. The school is near the private Gramercy Park
Gramercy Park
Gramercy Park is a small, fenced-in private park in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park is at the core of both the neighborhood referred to as either Gramercy or Gramercy Park and the Gramercy Park Historic District...
to the north, the park at Stuyvesant Square
Stuyvesant Square
__notoc__Stuyvesant Square is a park in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located between 15th Street and 17th Street and Rutherford Place and Nathan D. Perlman Place, formerly Livingston Place. Second Avenue divides the park into two halves, east and west, and each half is surrounded by the...
to the east, and Union Square
Union Square (New York City)
Union Square is a public square in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York.It is an important and historic intersection, located where Broadway and the former Bowery Road – now Fourth Avenue – came together in the early 19th century; its name celebrates neither the...
to the west, where students tend to linger after school.
History
The school is named after writer Washington IrvingWashington Irving
Washington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works...
(Bracebridge Hall
Bracebridge Hall
Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists, A Medley was written by Washington Irving in 1821, while he lived in England, and published in 1822. This episodic novel was originally published under his pseudonym Geoffrey Crayon.-Plot introduction:...
, Tales of a Traveller
Tales of a Traveller
Tales of a Traveller, by Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. is a collection of essays and short stories written by Washington Irving. It was written while Irving was living in Europe, primarily in Germany and Paris, and was published under his Geoffrey Crayon pseudonym.-Contents:Following the introductory "To...
). The building in which the school is located was designed by the architect C.B.J. Snyder
C.B.J. Snyder
Charles B. J. Snyder was a prolific American architect, architectural engineer, and mechanical engineer in the field of urban school building design and construction...
and built in 1913. The original building is eight stories high, though the extension on 16th Street designed by Walter C. Martin and built in 1938, is eleven stories high.
The school had been located on Lafayette Street, but SMD because the student population was growing at a rapid rate, a decision was made to move the school to another location, and land was purchased at 40 Irving Place. The school started out as a branch of Wadleigh High School, known at first as Girls' Technical High School, the first school for girls in the city. In 1913 the name changed to Washington Irving. Many years later the school became co-ed. Currently there are more than 2,000 students.
As of September 2009, the Washington Irving School Campus is shared by three independent schools: Washington Irving High School, The High School for Language and Diplomacy, and Gramercy Arts High School.
Interior and exterior
The school’s interior varies. The lobby’s walls are covered by wood panels and toward the ceiling are murals depicting the history of New York. Many are by the noted muralist, Barry FaulknerBarry Faulkner
Barry Faulkner was an American artist who was primarily known for his murals. During World War I, he and sculptor Sherry Edmundson Fry organized artists for training as camouflage specialists , an effort that contributed to the founding of the American Camouflage Corps in 1917.-Background:Faulkner...
. In the middle of the lobby there is a grand decorative fireplace. The guests enter the building through the main door which is opposite the fireplace. Above the fireplace are statues of women carved from a single piece of white stone, however they are covered by the American flag. 2nd floor and above the walls are white, doors are red, and floors are black. The exterior is limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
up to the 2nd story, then gray brick trimmed with limestone. On the corner of Irving Place and 17th Street is a bust of Washington Irving
Washington Irving
Washington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works...
by Friedrich Baer, which is featured on the school's ID. The exterior was used in the TV sit-com Head of the Class
Head of the Class
Head of the Class is an American sitcom that ran from 1986 to 1991 on the ABC television network. The series follows a group of gifted students in the Individualized Honors Program at the fictional Monroe High School in Manhattan, and their history teacher Charlie Moore...
. The school’s auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
is located is the middle, between the left and the right wings. It is usually accessed only from the lobby, but has seats on the second level. There are many performances held at the auditorium, by students and outside artists.
Student life
Each day students enter the building from East 16th Street, swipe their ID cards, and go through metal detectorMetal detector
A metal detector is a device which responds to metal that may not be readily apparent.The simplest form of a metal detector consists of an oscillator producing an alternating current that passes through a coil producing an alternating magnetic field...
s while their belongings go through an security X-ray scanner. As per the New York City Schools Chancellor
New York City Department of Education
The New York City Department of Education is the branch of municipal government in New York City that manages the city's public school system. It is the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,700 separate schools...
's regulations, cell phones, MP3 players, and other electronic devices are currently banned in New York City public schools.
Notable alumni
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- Comedian and Host on The View - Claudette ColbertClaudette ColbertClaudette Colbert was a French-born American-based actress of stage and film.Born in Paris, France and raised in New York City, Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the 1920s, progressing to film with the advent of talking pictures...
– Actress - Gertrude BergGertrude BergGertrude Berg was an American actress and screenwriter. A pioneer of classic radio, she was one of the first women to create, write, produce and star in a long-running hit when she premiered her serial comedy-drama The Rise of the Goldbergs , later known as The Goldbergs.-Career:Berg was born...
– Actress, Screenwriter - Bella SpewackSamuel and Bella SpewackSamuel and Bella Spewack were a husband-and-wife writing team.Samuel, who also directed many of their plays, was born in the Ukraine...
– Writer - Anita PageAnita PageAnita Evelyn Pomares , better known as Anita Page, was a Salvadoran-American film actress who reached stardom in the last years of the silent film era. She became a highly popular young star, reportedly at one point receiving the most fan mail of anyone on the MGM lot...
– Actress - Vast AireVast AireVast Aire is a rapper from New York City. He is one half of the New York hip hop duo Cannibal Ox, which consists of him and fellow rapper Vordul Mega. He is also a member of the rap group Atoms Family...
- Rapper
External links
- Official website
- M460 "Washington Irving High School" on Insideschools.org