Education

Take Note

August 06, 2003 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

End of an Era

The name-calling began as soon as New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg slapped the red “sold” sign on the front of the defenseless building in downtown Brooklyn.

The mayor compared the erstwhile headquarters of the city’s former board of education at 110 Livingston St. to the Kremlin during a July 8 news conference to announce its sale. Then Joel I. Klein, the city’s schools chancellor, likened the building to the catacombs of Rome.

Regarded by many critics as a symbol of the 1.1 million-student system’s inefficiency and bureaucracy, 110 Livingston St. is now slated to be reborn as residential condominium units.

Shortly after Mr. Bloomberg won control of the city’s schools last year, he moved the system’s main administrative offices into Tweed Courthouse, across from City Hall in Manhattan.

“Today marks both an end and a rebirth,” Mr. Bloomberg said during the news conference. “For years, this remarkable building was unjustly sentenced to life as the notorious Kremlin of the now- defunct board of education.”

After the $45 million sale becomes final this fall, private developers plan to renovate the office space into 245 condominiums. The board of education’s meeting room, where much political drama unfolded over the years, will become a performing arts theater.

Mr. Klein contended that 110 Livingston St. represented a district regime that focused too little on teaching and learning. Today, he said, the school system’s focus is on the classroom. Mr. Klein described the working atmosphere at Tweed Courthouse as “open.”

But at least one person is mourning the passing of the bureaucracy at 110 Livingston St.

Marty Markowitz, the Brooklyn borough president, said: “I’m still sad, I really am, that the education—whether you call it board or department—is not in Brooklyn any longer.”

—Karla Scoon Reid

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: March 13, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read