History of St. Paul's School

Saint Paul’s School is a High Victorian Gothic building constructed between 1879 and 1883. It was part of the original planned buildings for Garden City, as planned by Alexander Turney Stewart. It began operation as an endowed Episcopal School and remained active until it was decommissioned in 1991. It was purchased by the Incorporated Village of Garden City between 1992 and 1993 for “public and recreational use.” At the time of its purchase, Saint Paul’s School was part of a campus that included a library, Ellis Hall, a gymnasium, Cluett Hall, a Field House, and a series of wooden cottages. Ellis Hall has since been demolished. Cluett Hall, the Field House and the cottages remain in use under various public and private agencies.

Saint Paul’s School is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (1978) under A.T. Stewart Era Buildings located in the historic district of Garden City of New York State. Saint Paul’s was commissioned by Cornelia Stewart, widow of Alexander Stewart, and was dedicated in his honor. The building was designed by architect William H. Harris. In 2003, the school’s main building was chosen by the Preservation League of New York State as one of the “Seven to Save” significant but endangered properties.

The original building housed laboratories, classrooms, libraries, several dining halls, kitchens, a large reception parlor, permanent workspaces for staff and a gothic chapel. Three hundred students could reside at the school along with apartments for the schoolmasters.