REMEMBER: OLD SCHOOL ARCHITECTURE CIRCA 1920

Who can guess the location of this dramatic public building as seen in Harlem circa 1920?  This historic site was restored in recent decades but the distinct central turret has been long gone.  Nevertheless, this is definitely the most striking building on the block and has had great success as one of the early adaptive reuse developments of the city.  An updated photo will be posted later in the day.

ANSWER:  PS 157 between 126th and 127th Street on St. Nicholas Avenue became one of the first old abandoned city schoolhouses to be converted into residential apartments over twenty years ago in the early 90s.  This was probably one of the first developments to try to get people to move back into Harlem after decades of population loss that depleted the number of residents living uptown by half and was considered an affordable options for renters.  Needless to say, these grand apartments are rarely available on the market.

Archival image courtesy NYPL