Public School 157
Why it's listed
Public School 157, at 327 St. Nicholas Avenue in Manhattan, is a large four-story school completed in 1898 and designed by C. B. J. Snyder, who served as Superintendent of School Buildings for New York City. It rises from a high sandstone basement through brick upper floors, with light stone quoins, a full entablature, a hipped roof, Flemish gables and segmental dormers. Each elevation centers on a projecting pavilion with fluted Doric columns, carved garlands and high-relief sculpture. Snyder designed more than one hundred schools, including Erasmus Hall, Morris and Flushing High Schools, and this building shows his blend of Chateauesque and Classical Revival ideas. When built, it stood among brick and sandstone rowhouses and small apartment buildings, and its ornament answered their detailing. Many of those neighbors have since been demolished, leaving the school as the main reminder of the area's former character. The building is vacant but retains a high level of exterior and interior integrity.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school is architecturally significant as a prime example of the work of C. B. J. Snyder, Superintendent of School Buildings in New York City from 1891. His school designs combined Chateauesque motifs with Classical Revival elements, using Flemish gables, classical columns and elaborate sculptural ornament. The building also responds to the ornate rowhouses around it and is now the chief reminder of the neighborhood's past elegance, with high exterior and interior integrity.
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 82003387, listed December 10, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 327 St. Nicholas Ave., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Manhattan |
| Listed | December 10, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82003387 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1898 |
| Architect / builder | C. B. J. Snyder |
| Architectural style | Renaissance Revival (transitional, combining Chateauesque and Classical Revival motifs) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The form lists the building as unoccupied and vacant, in good condition and unaltered, on its original site. Some tall round-arched basement windows are covered with metal sheeting. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 40.81189, -73.95220 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 82003387.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7257551
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.