Look closely the next time you see a group of school kids out in the neighborhood. Are they looking up? Talking excitedly about stoops and cornices? It could be a new 2nd grade class of “Building Detectives” on the hunt! A new school year means LANDMARK WEST! will be introducing some 2,500 elementary school kids–our next generation of preservationists and community advocates–to architecture, neighborhood history and historic preservation through our education program, Keeping the Past for the Future. Free to NYC public schools, the program includes lessons, walking tours, and hands-on design and building projects to produce proud, knowledgeable neighborhood leaders and preservation advocates from every corner and population of the Upper West Side.
Check out the photos below of PS 166’s crack team of Building Detectives. After learning about basic architectural concepts and how to compare different building styles, they hit the pavement for a neighborhood walk. 88th Street between Amsterdam & Columbus Avenues played host to our Detectives, who were now savvy enough to point out parts they saw on each façade: the dentil, bracket, cornice, stoop, window, door, and ornament. Clipboards at the ready, the kids put these parts together to create their own detailed drawings of the houses — amazing!
CONTACT US if you’d like to bring LANDMARK WEST!’s award winning education program to your K-6 classroom!