Public School 15
Why it's listed
Public School 15 is a red brick schoolhouse at 4010 Dyre Avenue in the Bronx, completed in 1877. Simon Williams, head teacher at the earlier school, designed it in a modified Victorian Gothic style, and Edward Cordial, a local builder, constructed it. The H-shaped building has two steep gabled pavilions, segmental-arched windows, bull's-eye windows in the side gables, bracketed cornices and a bell tower with a pyramidal roof. It sits on a rough-faced stone foundation on an open lawn above the street. The school served the southern part of the town of Eastchester, which became part of New York City in 1898. Andrew George donated the acre for the site after the earlier 1790 school proved inadequate. The nomination values it as a rare example of rural schoolhouse architecture in a densely built city. After about a century as a school it was closed, and residents rallied to preserve it. It now serves as a community center.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a rare surviving rural red brick schoolhouse in New York City. It also holds a special place in the history of the former southern part of the town of Eastchester, which it served before joining New York City in 1898.
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 81000401, listed December 10, 1981. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 4010 Dyre Ave., New York |
|---|---|
| County | The Bronx |
| Listed | December 10, 1981 |
| Reference number | 81000401 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 (specific date 1877) |
| Architect / builder | Edward Cordial/Simon Williams |
| Architectural style | Modified Victorian Gothic |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Closed as a school by the Board of Education after about one hundred years; now a community center serving the surrounding residential area. Owned by the City of New York and listed as occupied, in good condition. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.89089, -73.83058 (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.
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 81000401.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7257550
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.