655 West 253rd Street

This orthodox Yeshiva elementary school building is set on a slope in a quiet residential neighborhood, on land that was formerly the estate of musical conductor Arturo Toscanini.

 

Originally, the building was to be built on a level field of the school’s property.  The architects however, perceived the unique possibilities that following the contour of the hillside slope offered for the planned building.  By choosing this site for creation of the new building, the flat land on the property was saved for athletic fields.  This decision also made it possible to create a building with stepped levels offering spectacular views of the Hudson River, while also preserving many of the academy’s leafy trees which would have otherwise been razed for construction.

 

The architects Caudill, Rowlett, Scott Associates used the site features to maximum advantage.  With terraced levels, deep expressed trusses and horizontal girders, views on all levels are enhanced through use of roof labs and clerestory windows.  The vertically open design in the school’s construction also gives the building greater flexibility and a unity in its academic block’s administrative and instructional space.  Exterior buff colored block masonry and bronze coated aluminum also serve to complement the unusual, sloped building location.

 

The architectural excellence and design features of the Yeshiva building were recognized in 1975 by the American Institute of Architects, the NYS Association of Architects, and by the City Club of New York.

 

Janet Butler Munch

 

 

Photographs:

Kareema Hussein