About 30 years ago, construction began on the Stuyvesant High School of today at 345 Chambers Street. As the oldest specialized High School in New York, a walk through our hallways each and every day is a reminder of the years gone by. The writers, the scientists, the historians, the noble laureates, the actors, the artists, the musicians, athletes…. New York City’s finest…all commemorated through Mnemonics system for remembering. You’ve walked by them in the hallways, those glass blocks…they’re time capsules! Each one housing fragments of history, either from the school representing the graduating classes of Stuyvesant since 1904 or fragments around the world. The block in this photo represents June 12, 1908, the formal dedication of Stuyvesant at 345 East 15th Street… 110 years ago. You may have seen it in the wall to the left of the Murray Kahn Theatre.
In a project commissioned by The Battery Park City Authority, the DOE, the NYC School Construction Authority, and Public Art for Public Schools Program in collaboration with the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Percent for Art Program, artists Kristin Jones and Andrew Ginzel installed this ongoing project in 1992 ‘dedicated to cherishing specific moments in time at Stuyvesant and sparking curiosity about the world beyond’. The work is made up of over 400 clear glass blocks. ‘To trigger the memories of graduating classes, the artists created 88 cubes with assemblages of artifacts donated by alumni’ representing every graduating class since 1904, and also provided an equal number of empty blocks to be filled by future classes until all the blocks are filled.
During 2018, Ms. Ingram coordinated a survey of all 400 cubes with the help of the senior caucus of the Class of 2018, Pallab Saha and Abie Rohig, and working directly again with Kristin Jones and Andrew Ginzel. We are happy to announce we are making an effort toward restoration of any damaged or empty cubes with the artists and the School Construction Authority. A grant has been provided by Percent for Art and Public Art for Public Schools. Of the originally ten alumni empty time capsule, there are currently only four still left to fill. Through the coordinated efforts of Ms. Ingram and the outreach of Mr. Polazzo, during the last year, we welcomed back and curated the sealing of the cubes for Classes of 2006, 2015, 2003, 2017, 2016 and 1998 as well as 2018. We also initiated a scavenger hunt with our incoming freshman class at Camp Stuy Part II with the assistance of Big Sibs to introduce them to their Time Capsule at the beginning of their high school years and our rich history here at Stuyvesant. Going forward, with the help of the Senior Activities Coordinator, Mr. Trainor and all senior caucus presidents, all our graduating classes will be making filling their commemorative block part of their Annual Graduation Activities! The next time you walk the halls, we hope you take a moment to stop and see what your classmates have left behind, perhaps think of what you'd like to remember...
Read an article on the project in The Stuyvesant Spectator.
