600 East 6th Street; 55-91 Avenue B | Block : 387 | Lot #1

Description & Building Alterations

Public School 64 opened in 1954 and was designed by architect Robert J. Reiley. The large, three-story brick building spans two blocks  and has an L footprint.  It is clad in red brick with stone ornament at the entries, water table and at the parapet.  There is a raised entry at the East 6th Street elevation capped by a relief sculpture.  Double hung, six-over-six windows are featured throughout the building.

City blocks 387 and 388 were combined during construction and East 5^th Street becomes a cul-de-sac as it is interrupted by the school on the west side of the block. By early 1952, thirty-five buildings had been demolished to make room for the school building and grounds. St. Francis Hospital, along with a set of six tenements owned by the Sisters of Poor St. Francis, once stood on the north side of East 5^th Street. On the corner of Avenue B and East 4^th Street there was a three story bank and office building. Most buildings demolished, however, were Old Law Tenement buildings, with stores on the ground floor.