Boys and Girls High School is the oldest public high school in Brooklyn, having opened in 1878. Since 1975, it has been located at Fulton St. A large building designed by James W. Naughton was constructed on Nostrand Ave. (between Halsey and Macon Sts.) in 1886, but enrollment had increased to the point where this building became the Girls High School. Likewise, the Boys High School, also designed by Naughton, was built on Marcy (between Madison St. and Putnam Ave.) in 1892.
These are jaw dropping edifices and appear in pristine condition in a neighborhood that could be mistaken for anywhere in Manhattan.
The Girls High School is regarded as a masterpiece of Victorian Gothic style, blending Gothic Revival and French Second Empire styles, the Second Empire influence is visible in the mansard roof, the Gothic influence in the pointed arch windows. The building features two pavilions built around a central entrance that rises into a bell tower
The Boys High School is a Romanesque Revival building is decorated in terracotta in the style of H.H. Richardson, sporting gables, dormers, a round corner tower, and a campanile topped by a pyramid roof.
Noted alumni include Isaac Asimov (writer), Shirley Chisholm (congresswoman), Aaron Copeland (composer), Lena Horne (singer), Norman Mailer (writer), and Lenny Wilkins (basketball).
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