Grammar School No. 35, also known as the "Thirteenth Street School" or "Ward School No. 35" was a
public school on 60 West
Thirteenth Street in
Manhattan, New York City.[1] It was known as one of the largest and most prestigious public schools for boys in New York City.[2]
History
Ward School No. 20 was built in 1847; in 1853, the ward schools in the city were renumbered, and the building became No. 35. The school had two departments: "Primary" and "Senior"; "Primary" was for boys only.[3]
Thomas Hunter began teaching at the school around 1850, when he arrived in the United States. He was made vice principal within four years, and was the school's principal from 1857 to 1869. He increased the student population from 300 to 1,000 students, and innovated a ban on
corporal punishment, an act that the Board of Education later instituted in all New York public schools.[1] Hunter's success at the school impressed William Wood of New York's Board of Education, who helped Hunter found what would become
Hunter College.[2]
The school building, by
Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, was a four-story brick building with about 30 classrooms, a playroom, and a basement, with a front and rear stairway as well as fire escapes. The building held about 1,000 students.[4][5] Alterations and additions to the building were made in 1861.[3]