Philip Livingston Magnet Academy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Philip Livingston Junior High School
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East (front) elevation of main block, 2015
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | Albany, NY |
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| Area | 9.83 acres (3.98 ha) |
| Built | 1931-1932, 1947, 1967 |
| Architect | Andrew Delehanty |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Art Deco |
| NRHP reference No. | 14000485 |
| Added to NRHP | August 18, 2014 |
The former Philip Livingston Magnet Academy is a large brick building in Albany, New York. It is mostly built in the Colonial Revival style, with some Art Deco details inside. The school was built in the 1930s, with additions made in the 1960s.
In 2014, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It was named the Philip Livingston Junior High School. It is the only public school building in Albany built specifically for a school to be recognized this way.
For many years, it was one of four middle schools in the Albany City School District. Later, it became a magnet school, which is a special school with a unique focus. When it first opened, people called it the city's best school building. It also became a famous landmark in Albany because of its location.
The school helped the community grow, especially for African Americans moving to Albany. The Albany Symphony Orchestra used to play concerts in the school's auditorium. Famous pilot Amelia Earhart even spoke there! In 1947, a concert by singer Paul Robeson caused a big stir. The city tried to stop it because of his political views, but he still performed.
Exploring the School Building and Area
The school building is located in the West Hill area of Albany. It sits on a large piece of land, about 9.83-acre (3.98 ha). The land around it changes a lot. To the south, it's flat, but in other directions, it drops about 100 feet (30 m) into ravines. These ravines have small streams that flow into the Hudson River.
Around the school, you'll find different types of buildings. Across McCrossin Avenue to the south are single-family homes. To the east, across Northern Boulevard, there are more homes and some businesses. Beyond them, there's open land and railroad tracks used by CSX freight trains and Amtrak passenger trains.
North of the school, there are two charter schools: KIPP Tech Valley and Green Tech High. To the west, you'll find the Tivoli Nature Preserve. This large park is about 82-acre (33 ha) and includes Tivoli Lake. It's the biggest protected urban area in New York State, besides Central Park in New York City.
Most of the school's property is a large athletic field with soccer goals. Park Drive runs along the west side and leads to the main entrance. There are also parking areas for cars.
The School Building's Design
The school building itself has three stories and is shaped like a "Y". It's made of steel frame covered in brick and cast stone. The main part of the building has a tall central section. On the west side of this central part, there's a shorter wing that holds the school's auditorium.
Outside the School
The main part of the building has a central section with five large window areas. On each side of this, there's a slightly set-back area. Both the main and set-back parts have a gambrel roof, which is a roof with two different slopes on each side. A tall, green cupola (a small dome-like structure) sits on top of the center.
The front of the building, facing east, is covered in cast stone. The main entrance has three doors set back slightly. They are framed by columns and topped with a decorative band. The windows on the first floor are large and have special patterns above them.
A stone band separates the first and second floors. Above the entrance, there's a small balcony with a fancy wrought iron fence. The second floor has large double doors and many windows. Some windows are arched and have decorative frames.
On the third floor, you can see a carving of Albany's city coat of arms in the middle. It's topped by a broken arch design. There are also windows with decorative supports. Round windows, called oculi, are found at the corners of the third floor.
Above the third story, there's a decorative band and a cornice (a decorative molding). Metal letters spell out "Philip Livingston Junior High School" in the middle. The roof is covered in asphalt shingles and has six arched dormer windows.
The cupola on top has three parts. The bottom is square, the middle has columns and round windows, and the top is a curved roof with a small finial (a decorative top).
Both wings of the building have a similar design. They have stone bands at ground level and between floors. The windows are large, and some are round. The south end of the building has a grand entrance with double doors and decorative cast stone. The north end has a simpler door.
The back of the building is less decorated. Most windows are plain. A small, glass-enclosed section sticks out from the back of the first floor. On the west side, there's a brick chimney stack. This chimney is considered a separate, important part of the building for its historic listing.
The auditorium wing has large, arched windows on its north and south sides. There are also double-door entrances in the basement. The corner of this wing has a diagonal shape with metal double doors.
Inside the School
When you enter through the main doors, you step into a vestibule. It has shiny concrete floors and walls that look like stone. Three more doors lead into the main lobby.
The lobby also has concrete floors and stone-like walls. It features Art Deco columns and a ceiling with square panels. The doorways to the old administrative offices are framed with fancy cast stone.
On the second and third floors, there are wide corridors. They have tile floors, concrete and drywall walls, and modern acoustic tile ceilings. Some alcoves where display cases used to be are still there.
The old library was on the east side of the second and third floors. The large windows let in lots of natural light. A cast iron spiral staircase leads to a mezzanine (a low balcony).
Upstairs, a large open space was divided into classrooms. These rooms have gypsum walls and modern dropped ceilings. All rooms have solid metal doors. Metal staircases at each end lead to the roof.
Inside the main part of the building, there are two sets of staircases from the basement to the third floor. They are mostly metal with a wooden handrail. There's also an elevator.
The corridors continue into both wings, where classrooms have been turned into apartments. Both end sections have gyms with bleachers and a mezzanine. Nearby are locker rooms and staircases. The basement of the north wing also has steam tunnels.
The boiler room is in the basement of the auditorium wing. The auditorium itself has seats on the first floor and a stage at the west end. There's a balcony at the east end. The walls are plaster over brick, and Art Deco columns frame the stage and windows.
A Look Back at Philip Livingston School's History
The school was built because more schools were needed and ideas about education were changing. For 77 years, it served as a junior high school and then a magnet school.
Early Education in Albany (1796–1928)
Albany started its public school system in 1796, soon after American independence. By the 1920s, Albany had 25 elementary schools and its high school.
Around the early 1900s, educators wanted a new type of school. This school would be between elementary school and high school. Many high school students were not ready for the harder work and left school. With many immigrants coming to cities, there were already a lot of unskilled workers. So, school leaders wanted to keep more students in school longer.
The new junior high school model put students in seventh through ninth grade in a separate building. This helped them get ready for high school slowly. New York State encouraged cities to start these schools.
Albany opened its first junior high schools in 1922. In 1927, the city built its first junior high school, named after Mayor William Hackett. It opened with 600 students.
Soon, another junior high school was needed. In 1929, the city bought land in the north of Albany. They secured a loan and bought four pieces of land to build the new school.
At that time, the Arbor Hill neighborhood was growing. Many African Americans were moving from the South to Northern cities like Albany. They were looking for jobs. Many settled in Arbor Hill.
Building the School (1929–1932)
Andrew Delehanty was chosen to design the school. He was a local architect who had designed other schools. His plan was for a large building, about 800-foot-long (240 m), in a "Georgian" style. The school, first called Arbor Hill Junior High School, was expected to cost a million dollars. It was meant to be one of the most modern schools in the state.
Construction faced delays. Buying the land took longer than expected, which delayed preparing the site. This also caused problems with labor unions during the Great Depression. By early 1931, only the foundation was finished.
Work picked up later that year. By fall, officials announced the school would open for the next school year. The different brick patterns inside the school show that it was used to train apprentices in building trades.
School and Community Hub (1932–1946)
In September 1932, the school opened. It was named after Philip Livingston, an Albany native who signed the Declaration of Independence. The mayor noted that even though it opened late, it had more than twice the students of the Hackett school but cost less. It had a thousand-seat auditorium, a gym, a swimming pool, and a greenhouse. The school superintendent called it a very well-planned and equipped building. The cafeteria kitchen prepared food for other city schools too.
Philip Livingston quickly became a special building in Albany. A 1936 guidebook called it Albany's most outstanding school building.
The building did more than just educate students. Until 1938, it also hosted night school classes. People in Arbor Hill came to the school to vote in elections.
Cultural events were held in the auditorium. The Albany Symphony Orchestra rehearsed and performed concerts there. In 1934, its founder premiered a new musical piece about the Helderberg mountains at the school.
Other famous people visited the school. Amelia Earhart spoke there in 1935, after she flew solo across the Pacific Ocean. In 1936, dancer Ted Shawn brought his Men Dancers to the stage. He wanted to show that ballet was for men too.
The Paul Robeson Concert (1947)
In May 1947, the school board allowed a concert by Paul Robeson in the auditorium. He was mainly going to sing traditional African American spirituals. However, Mayor Erastus Corning 2nd stopped it. Corning said Robeson supported the Communist Party and often sang Communist songs. He said school buildings should not be used for "controversial affairs."
Many people called Corning a racist. He received angry letters and telegrams from all over the country. A group called the Civil Rights Congress of Albany said it was a violation of civil liberties. A lawyer filed a lawsuit, arguing that the city could not cancel the concert. Veterans' groups protested outside City Hall, asking people to boycott the concert.
A judge ruled that the city had to let Robeson perform. However, he could only sing and not give speeches. When the concert happened, police were there to stop him if he spoke. But they didn't interrupt. Robeson performed to a full house and received great praise. He did include two songs from the Spanish Civil War.
Growth and Changes (1948–1969)
The school continued to be a community and cultural center. The Albany Symphony still performed there in the mid-1950s. A local church raised money with its gospel choir. A performance of The Mikado was staged there in 1958. Touring glee clubs and a cappella groups also found the auditorium a great place to perform.
In 1967, the building changed significantly. A new one-story cafeteria wing was added to the back. This wing was more modern.
Two years later, the school was again involved in a race-related issue. One hundred protesters against racial discrimination in the school system were arrested at the building. Because of the high tensions, the city closed all its schools for two days.
Magnet School Era and Closure (1970–2009)
To address the protesters' concerns, the school district applied for grants. They wanted to make the school a magnet school to help with racial segregation. By the early 1970s, this happened, and the school was renamed Philip Livingston Magnet Academy.
However, in the late 1900s, the school started to decline. The building began to show its age, and money problems led to less maintenance. Student achievement went down, and disciplinary problems increased. By the end of the century, it was on the state's "Persistently Dangerous Schools" list. Parents in Arbor Hill started sending their children to private charter schools, and enrollment at Philip Livingston dropped.
Under new leaders in the late 1990s, the school began to improve. By the late 2000s, it was off the dangerous schools list, and test scores were rising. But the building itself continued to get worse.
In 2005, the district used $19 million meant for Philip Livingston's maintenance for other schools instead. Two years later, the superintendent suggested turning the building into a high school for engineering and nanotechnology. But the school board rejected the idea. Parents felt the district wasn't investing in the old school.
By this time, the school had only 250 students, much less than it was designed for. Enrollment and test scores went up slightly the next year, but not enough. In 2009, the school graduated its last eighth grade class and closed permanently.
New Life as Senior Housing (2010–Present)
The district decided to sell the building. In 2011, a developer bought it for $3.5 million. They planned to turn it into senior housing. The National Register of Historic Places listing helped them get grants for the renovation.
Not all school board members agreed with the sale. One member, Melissa Mackey, worried about losing the building. She noted that the district's other middle schools were almost full.
The renovations were finished, and the apartments opened in 2013. The 1967 cafeteria wing was removed to create more parking. By 2015, other school board members also regretted the sale. Some charter schools had closed, and many students returned to Albany's public schools. Voters rejected plans for a new high school. Soon after, the district realized it needed more middle school space.
The board hoped to find space for a fourth middle school by 2018. One member, Rose Brandon, sadly said that Livingston could no longer be used. She called it "a serious injustice" that the school was closed when it was now needed again.
