Girls High School, May 1, 1942.

Built 1885 to 1886, Girls High School is the oldest extant (surviving) public high school building in New York City. The school is described in its landmark designation report as "a striking combination of Victorian Gothic and French Second Empire styles." The architect was James Naughton, the Superintendent of Buildings for the Board of Education of the City of Brooklyn. He also created a 1891 rear extension, which has since been demolished. A 1912 Collegiate Gothic addition was designed by C.B.J Snyder, who later held the same position as Naughton, though his purview was all five boroughs.

According to an 1895 article in the New York Times, it was "the ambition of every Brooklyn girl... to enter the Girls' High School where she may enjoy the advantages of an advanced education and be prepared for college." Famous alumni of the school include singer Lena Horne, politician Shirley Chisholm, and Jean Nidetch, who found Weight Watchers.