No. 34½ East 12th Street (between University Place and Broadway) was built in 1855 as the city’s first school for girls, and later became its first high school for girls. The woman behind the school, Lydia Fowler Wadleigh, was considered one of the great educational reformers and advocates for women and girls of 19th-century New York. This rich history and the impressive Anglo Italianate design of the building earned it individual landmark status in 1998. 

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It is owned by the City (specifically the NYPD) and has been occupied by the Police Athletic League since 1958. The building has fallen into an unfortunate state of disrepair, surrounded by scaffolding wth virtually no activity inside, for some 20 years. Efforts to see the building repaired, or even get details on restoration plans, have been largely unsuccessful.

Working with local City Councilmember Harvey Epstein and Community Board 2, Village Preservation’s campaign focuses on getting the building repaired and having a conversation about its future. There is no excuse for allowing a building like this to lie fallow and deteriorate.

Photo: Dylan Chandler