Designated November 20, 2007
Dating from 1878, the Flatbush District No. 1 School is an important link to the years in which Flatbush was transformed from an agricultural village into a major suburb. John Y. Culyer was a locally prominent civil engineer and landscape architect who was the chief engineer and superintendent of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.
Culyer designed the original H-shaped portion of the District No. 1 School in the Rundbogenstil or round-arched style, which was then the prevailing style among the new Brooklyn schoolhouses. Flatbush continued to grow following the building’s completion, and the schoolhouse soon became crowded, necessitating the construction of a harmonious southern addition, probably between 1890 and 1894.
*Excerpt from the Landmarks Preservation Commission designation report