Bronx High School of Science

Holocaust Museum and Studies Center

The Bronx High School of Science originally had a large percentage of Jewish students whose families had emigrated from Europe during and after the war.  These families brought Holocaust items with them to the Bronx, where a teacher determined to collect them for preservation and education. These materials had been on display in a small space off the library which was eliminated in a previous renovation. Despite good intentions, storage has been haphazard and certainly not to museum standards typical for historical papers and artifacts.  Nonetheless, BHSS developed a vital educational program around the collection, using it to spark dialogue about prejudice and hatred across time and cultures. With found space at their lower level, the School was determined to create a dedicated Holocaust Studies Center. Supported by generous alumni, it now contains several galleries for display and a classroom for research and study. A dedicated mechanical system with new condenser controls temperature and humidity. Working with curators Jill Vexler and exhibit designer Robin Parkinson, we reinstalled the collection in 2013.

Physics Lab

The Bronx High School of Science was built in 1959 of light colored brick in a modern style. Its classrooms and teacher research spaces were equipped especially for the sciences. As teaching methods and technology have progressed, however, these spaces grew increasingly dated and in need of renovations. This physics double-classroom provides one example of the numerous such projects we’ve completed. New custom student and teacher desks, with built-in computers, data wiring and gas plumbing lines enable Bronx Science to continue at the forefront of public education with facilities to match its reputation. New lighting, flooring and painting further enhanced these classrooms.