Westfield Township District School No. 5, erected in 1878 and enlarged in 1896-97 to plans provided by the architectural firm of Pierce & Brun, demonstrates the strong commitment of the inhabitants of Tottenville to education. As the oldest public school remaining in use on Staten Island, the building recalls the era when such schools on Staten Island were under the jurisdiction of Richmond County and the State of New York.
The brick schoolhouse appears to have been designed by a builder or architect familiar with the neo-Grec style. The growing population of the village and the establishment of a two-year high school department prompted the construction of an addition to the schoolhouse in 1896-97. Pierce & Brun established a T-shaped plan and incorporated signature elements of the original building into an up-to-date scheme with banks of windows and a well-lighted central stairhall.