The Beginnings of New Rochelle High School
1923 - 1967
The public high school constructed in New Rochelle in 1906 became inadequate in the years following World War I, and a new, larger building required.
In 1923, the city purchased forty-three acres of land with a large lake that was the site of the Mahlstedt ice manufacturing business. The lake would be divided into "Twin Lakes" and on this property was constructed a new high school and "Huguenot Park." |
The school was designed by the architectural firm of Ernest F. Guilbert and James Oscar Betelle which specialized in designing schools along the east coast from Connecticut to Delaware. The school was fashioned in the French-Gothic style, prevalent in France from 1140 until about 1500, to reflect the city's founding by French Huguenots.
The structure's center would be a stately tower housing a working clock and decorated with windows and elegant sculptures including gargoyles. The two story building would house an auditorium, gymnasium, lunch room, shops, and a light court, with athletic fields to the rear. |
The school was originally to be named Woodrow Wilson Memorial High School, but in 1926 the Board of Education reconsidered and decided to call it New Rochelle High School. The former president of the United States was subsequently honored by the placement of a dedication plaque in the school's front hall.
The building was built in two stages. The center section containing the clock tower was constructed by 1926 and two wings, each housing a tower, were completed by 1931. The photographs shown here illustrate these two phases of construction. |
The elaborate main entrance, located at the base of the center tower, employed the French-Gothic style to proudly display the name, New Rochelle High School.
The town newspaper, The Standard Star, stated in 1926 that the newly opened New Rochelle High School was "one of the most beautiful schools in the east." The publication also claimed that, "The entire building is fireproof." The Class of 1927, the first to graduate from the school, stated in their yearbook dedication that they were inspired by their principal "to strive for bigger and better achievements in this new home of New Rochelle High School." |
An aerial view of the campus showed the Twin Lakes of Huguenot Park with a center walkway leading to the school from North Avenue. Behind the school complex were athletic fields, with residential housing about the neighborhood.
As the student population increased by the late 1950's, new wings for the administration, science classes and gymnasium were built in 1959-1960. These additions did not, however, match the design of the 1926-1931 building as can be seen in the right side of the photograph from 1967 displayed on the next page.