P.S. 033 Chelsea Prep

USA / New Jersey / Weehawken / Ninth Avenue, 281

3-story Mid-century Modern school completed in 1951. It replaced the 1857 school house that had been in continuous use at the same location. The roughly cross-shaped building is clad in dark-red brick, and set at an angle to the street grid. The main entrance is in the north part of the southeast wing, with three sets of green metal doors in a blue metal-and-glass surround, atop a low set of steps and a long ramp. Above, the 2nd & 3rd floors have 4-pane windows in white metal framing. To the left, the east facade of this wing facing the avenue has six bays of triple-windows at each floor, with the bays separated by black tiles, except at the center. The south elevation of this wing, facing the intersection, has a projecting middle section with a secondary entrance. It has lime-green metal double-doors, and above is a 2-story, narrow window wall of glass blocks. There are no other openings on this facade, but the ground floor is painted with murals.

A playground area is framed between the arms of the south and west wings, both of which have the same style of windows as the east facade of the south wing. The painted mural continues along the ground floor of the south wing, with the ground floor at the west wing painted red, and having a number of basement windows. The southwest-facing elevation of the west wing matches that facing the intersetion, with a secondary entrance. The red-painted ground floor and triple-window bays continue onto the north facade of the west wing, with more basement windows.

A 2-story section is added to the junction of the west and north wings, with five tall windows at its east end. The north face of the north wing matches the other two, with a secondary entrance. The east wing is shorter at two floors, and its roof has another playground. There are no openings on its northeast-facing elevation, but there is a stone medallion with the seal of New York City Education department.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   40°44'56"N   74°0'0"W
This article was last modified 4 years ago