Public School 64, 1920. Constructed between 1904 and 1906 to the designs of BOE architect C.B.J. Snyder, the French Renaissance Revival style building adheres to Snyder's usual H shaped design. When opened the school could hold 2,500 students and later had an annex constructed to accommodate a larger student body. As the populations of the East Village and Lower East Side declined in the 1970s and in the midst of the city's financial crisis, the school was closed in 1977. Soon after closing the building became the home of a number of non-profits, including Adopt-A-Building (which trained and empowered residents of blighted neighborhoods to improve their own buildings) and CHARAS (a neighborhood center that fostered community-based urban ecology, arts and culture). After two decades of successful reactivation of the school space, the building was sold by the Giuliani administration to a developer in 1998. The groups were evicted in 2001. For the last 15 years, the building has continued to deteriorate. The school was landmarked in 2006 and various plans have been suggested for its redevelopment, including as dormitories, which most of the local community vehemently opposes. In the fall of 2017 current mayor De Blasio stated that the city wished to buy back the property, but the future of the building is unknown.

Touring the streets surrounding Tompkins Square Park, we look at moments in time where the actions of neighbors, activists and local organizations helped change the course of history, letting personal recollection guide us through these sites. Learn how constant advocacy through zoning, historic districts and landmarking efforts helps ensure the survival of small businesses, spaces of community, and architectural identity in the East Village.

C.B.J. Snyder was an architect and mechanical engineer who served as Superintendent of School Buildings for the New York City Board of Education between 1891 and 1923. During his tenure he was responsible for the design and construction of more than 350 elementary, middle, and high schools in the five boroughs. Snyder is know for innovating the design and construction process. The resulting schools have been praised for their high quality, longevity, and architectural beauty. Snyder worked in a number of styles, favoring Beaux Arts, English Collegiate Gothic, and Renaissance Revival. Another feature of his buildings were their mid-block location, preferring to keep these places of education away from the busy, noisy, and (perceived) pollution of the avenues. He believed that schools were civic monuments that were necessary for a better society and he focused on health and safety issues, improving the fire protection, ventilation, lighting, and classroom size.