What began as a 3-story masonry building to house a school developed by the New York City Public School Society in 1849-1850 for White students and teachers, later transitioned into a building owned and operated by the New York City Board of Education for a combined primary, grammar, and adult evening school for African American students and teachers called Colored School No. 7 (renamed in 1866, Colored School No. 4; again renamed in 1884, Grammar School No. 81).

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In 1894, the Board of Education ceased operation of a school in the building. Since 1936, New York City Department of Sanitation has owned the building.

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Site visit report completed for Black in Historic Preservation of wrkSHap kiloWatt.