Public School 17
Also known as: City Island Community Centre and Historical Nautical Museum
Why it's listed
Public School 17 sits on a small grassy hill on Fordham Street on City Island in the Bronx. Built in 1897-98 to designs by C.B.J. Snyder, it is a two-story, five-bay brick building with a high basement, a slightly projecting central pavilion and a wooden entrance porch with Doric columns and a segmental pediment. A Palladian window and an oculus in the gable mark the front. A three-story rear addition was built in 1930 and is described as compatible with the original. The city offered to build the school in return for City Island voting in 1895 to join New York City and the Bronx. It was the island's only school until the 1940s. Snyder later became the first superintendent of school buildings for the consolidated city system. The Georgian Revival design suits the small houses of the neighborhood. After the school closed in 1975, a local committee leased it, and it now houses a community centre and nautical museum.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a representative example of Georgian Revival school architecture and an important early work by Snyder, superintendent of school buildings in New York City. It was the only school on City Island from 1898 until the 1940s. Its modest scale suits the low-rise seaside community around it.
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 84002065, listed September 27, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 190 Fordham St., New York |
|---|---|
| County | The Bronx |
| Listed | September 27, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002065 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1897-1898 |
| Architect / builder | C.B.J. Snyder |
| Architectural style | Neo-Georgian / Georgian Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as a school until 1975; since then leased from the City and used as the City Island Community Centre and Historical Nautical Museum. Form marks it occupied. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.84717, -73.78438 (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 84002065.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7257552
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.