History Lesson

Have you ever wondered about the history of a building? So have I. Up until recently, I never knew where to look for information casually.

My deeper dives started after I Googled directions to one of the nursery schools we considered for our daughter. When I checked street view, I knew the building had some history. And walking up the well-worn steps solidified my hunch.

This building is the second schoolhouse built on this property. The first building was built in 1891, and was moved off property in 1909 when a new larger school was to be built.

The Seymour Avenue School was built in 1909 and opened in September 1910. It was the only elementary school in the district until 1930, when the Sunrise Park School opened. The class of 1959 was the last to graduate from Seymour Avenue. After that, the school district used the building for storage for two years, then an administration building. I couldn’t find an exact date on when it became a nursery school. The school there now was started in 1978, so it may have been the only nursery school in the building after it was the administration building.

My initial search through local tax records stated that the building was built in 1952… uh, nope. Did they ever walk up those steps?

Then I searched through Sanborn Fire Insurance maps. I found a map dated 1942. I was getting closer.

After that, I went back to the tax records; and I found an aerial photo dated 1926.

From there I discovered the NY Heritage website that shares some of the digital records of local historical societies. That’s where I hit pay-dirt.

The bottom line is, don’t give up your search. Google is a great source when used correctly. And some towns and/or counties have online historical preservation sources, but most have physical collections.

Good luck, and happy hunting!