(Charles B. J. Snyder, 1906) Public School 149 was one of the roughly 400 schools constructed during the tenure of the notable architect/engineer C. B. J. Snyder, superintendent of school buildings for the Board of Education from 1891 to 1923, when the city’s population was growing and new laws mandated children’s education. Snyder was known for his innovative “H-plan” design, inspired by the medieval Hôtel de Cluny in Paris, which allowed for improved ventilation, advances in fireproofing, better lighting, larger classroom sizes and the incorporation of two courtyards for recreation. Public School 149 initially housed kindergarten through ninth grade classes, but in the 1920s was downsized to offer only sixth, seventh and eighth-grade classes when the city adopted a Junior High School system in an effort to relieve overcrowding. At that time, it became known as either Junior High School 149 or East New York Junior High School. In 1967, the city opened another junior high school nearby, I.S. 292, and P.S. 149 became an elementary school. The school is named for famed actor, dancer and musician Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky), one of the school’s most illustrious alumni (he attended from 1919 to 1927), who also attended Thomas Jefferson High School (site 14).

(Probably Charles B. J. Snyder, New York City Board of Education, 1922-24) In 1921, plans to build a high school in East New York were made public. Prior to that, students had to travel significant distances to schools outside of the neighborhood, so the announcement was extremely well received. In May 1922, Mayor John Francis Hylan, local leaders and six live bands led the parade and celebrations surrounding the school’s groundbreaking ceremony. Dedicated to the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson High School opened with roughly 4,000 school seats in September 1924. Some of the school’s notable attendees include Howard Zinn, Danny Kaye, Shelley Winters, Jimmy Smits and Al Lewis, who played Grandpa Munster in the 1960s TV show The Munsters.

Thomas Jefferson High School, early 1930s. The 1922 groundbreaking for this East New York high school (then considered part of Brownsville) was attended by Mayor John Hylan, who headlined a ceremony featuring six bands and “a parade of civic and religious bodies and school children which marched through Brownsville.” For decades, Thomas Jefferson was known for its outstanding athletics, with graduates regularly going on to play in college or in professional leagues. Other notable graduates have included the historian Howard Zinn (‘40), former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein (‘51), and the soul singer Sharon Jones (‘75). After years of decline, Thomas Jefferson closed in 2007 due to low graduation rates. Four separate high schools now operate out of the original building.

Construction of the IRT New Lots Line elevated trestle at New Jersey Avenue (foreground at left, with buildings under construction), June 10, 1920. The eastward extension to New Lots Avenue would be completed in October, 1922. The steeple of the New Lots Reformed Church is visible in the distance, at center-right.