Friends Meetinghouse and School
Why it's listed
Brooklyn's Friends Meeting House and the school beside it occupy a corner at Schermerhorn Street and Boerum Place in the downtown area. The meeting house went up in 1857 for the Brooklyn Society of Friends, a Hicksite branch of the New York monthly meeting, replacing a smaller building in Brooklyn Heights. Its design is attributed to Charles T. Bunting, a Manhattan builder and fellow Quaker. Red brick walls, brownstone trim, a gabled front and a small Doric porch reflect the Quaker preference for plain construction, with Greek Revival form and Italianate touches in the tall openings and staircase newels. The three-story brick school was added in 1902 to designs by Brooklyn architect William Tubby, who used a restrained Classical Revival style that suits the older building. Both buildings remain in use, and the complex was recognized as a rare intact nineteenth-century group in the downtown area.
Significance in brief: The meeting house is a representative mid-nineteenth century example of the plain, straightforward buildings favored by the Society of Friends. Together with the school, it forms an intact nineteenth-century complex in downtown Brooklyn that still keeps its original use. The meeting house has served the Brooklyn Friends continuously since 1857.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 82001179, listed November 4, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 110 Schermerhorn St., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Brooklyn |
| Listed | November 4, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82001179 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Charles T. Bunting, William Tubby |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival with Italianate influence (meeting house); Classical Revival (school) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in excellent condition; the meeting house still serves the Friends and the school building continues as a school, now housing a New York City school. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.68988, -73.98949 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 82001179.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5504194
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.