BFS Arti-Facts

Each week in The Weekly, BFS Arti-Facts examines a moment in history from the Brooklyn Friends Archives. These short stories remember people, places, and events from the rich 154 year history of our school. Here are a few of our favorites from this school year:

Mother’s Club Becomes Parent’s Club

This note pays tribute to all of the Dads of yesteryear at BFS. Not that we don’t appreciate and respect all of our current Dads, but back in 1933—well, that might have been a bigger ask. Throughout the storied history of Brooklyn Friends, which dates back to the school’s earliest days, there was always a proud and active Mother’s Club. At their monthly meeting in February of that year, it was proposed that the club become a “Parent’s Club” in order to include the fathers of students. To conform with the constitution of the Mother’s Club, this proposition needed to be brought before the club and voted upon. That took place in March, and the amendment was carried by “a large majority” and “plans for the future includes the fathers of Friends School,” as written in the school newspaper, The Life. Just a little fact to take note of—the vote was not unanimous. :)

Meet You at the Luncheonette

This note is only somewhat connected to BFS, although it was—quite literally connected to Brooklyn Friends. Wait, what? OK, in 1928 the building which houses our Preschool through eighth grade on Pearl Street was first opened as Richardson Hall, the main campus for Brooklyn Law School. That much everyone knows, especially since the words BROOKLYN LAW SCHOOL are carved eternally above our front doors. However, as you stand outside looking at the school and glance to your left you will see bicycles parked in a cutout next to the building. What you probably don’t know is that back in the late 1920s and 1930s that space was occupied by a small luncheonette, which no doubt fed many of the hungry law students, as the building originally had no cafeteria. Whether or not the luncheonette actually predates 375 Pearl Street is unknown. What we do know is that by the time Brooklyn Friends moved into the building in 1973, the luncheonette was apparently already gone. I am sure our current students—and colleagues, for that matter—wish it was still there.

A Part of Brooklyn

This note highlights the lead story of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle newspaper on Thursday, January 29th, 1948. The headline was big and bold and across the top of page 1—FRIENDS SCHOOL SAVED; CITY DROPS SITE. New York City, it seems, was trying to evict BFS from its location on Schermerhorn Street so that they could build a new Brooklyn jailhouse. The jail would replace the Meeting House, as well as the school building itself. The move was seen throughout the community as extremely controversial and Brooklyn Friends School seemed to hang in the balance. However, there was an inner light from Brooklyn Borough President John Cashmore, who announced after months of debate that he was abandoning the plan because this school is “a part of Brooklyn,” he said. And they “haven’t the time, money, or place” to relocate. The school’s reaction was captured best by the President of the PTA at the time, Mrs. H.J. Szold, who told NYC Mayor William O’Dwyer: “I think you and your board are going to rate higher than the Dodgers in Brooklyn now.”

4 Discovering the Discovered

This note features a coat of arms that was discovered high above Pearl Street on the exterior of BFS. This shield, which appears to contain two crosses and two open books, was discovered when taking the BFS Drone out for a spin. The coat of arms is not at all visible from the street. The question was—what was this and what does this represent?

Web searches were proving fruitless. We know the building Brooklyn Friends was the original home of Brooklyn Law School, but research could find no connection between the law school and these markings. The architects of the building, which was built in 1928, were Thompson, Holmes & Converse (who also designed Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital in Manhattan and the original buildings of Lehman College in the Bronx). Still, nothing. However, when you search enough times on the internet, the answer comes forward. Brooklyn Law School was originally affiliated with St. Lawrence University—and the coat of arms is from that school.

As I walked outside onto Pearl Street and looked up toward the coat of arms, I realized something for the first time. That same coat of arms is depicted just to the left of the words “Brooklyn Law School” and right above our front doors, in plain sight. Oh, and it clearly says St. Lawrence University in Latin. So much for the mystery…but it was still a fun adventure.