THEN

This handsome “Day Nursery” was financed by Nicholas Frederick Brady, a leading Catholic philanthropist. It was designed in the Neo-Gothic style by William Weissenberger Jr., an architect who frequently worked for New York Edison, the electric company where Brady was president and chairman of the board. When the building opened in 1915, he wrote: “The only condition I make is that none shall be denied the use of its facilities on account of race, creed, or color.” Containing a small chapel, kindergarten, infant’s dormitory and roof playground, in the early 20th century the Sisters of Bon Secours provided care for children of Austrian, Hungarian, and German descent. Over the past one hundred years, the mission has hardly changed as this facility continues to serve pre-K through kindergarten students.