Explore the former PS160, the exceptional Charles B.J. Snyder public school that is now home to The Clemente, its beautiful architectural detail, emphasis on natural light, fresh air ventilation, and ingenious pre-code fire safety measures. Archival photos, references by Jacob Riis, and newspaper articles bring to life the excitement felt by an overcrowded and impoverished Lower East Side immigrant neighborhood on the building of their new school, which inspired generations of children who remember it as a castle.

Special thanks to the following individuals and institutions for the use of their documentation and voice in the making of this project: NYC Municipal Archives, Mark La Rosa Photography, The New York Public Library Library of Congress, Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, The Museum of the City of New York, Superstructures, Nelligan White.