Morris High School (Bronx, New York)

Morris High School was a high school in the borough of the Bronx in New York City.^[1] It was built in 1897.^[2] It was the first high school built in the Bronx.^[1] Originally named Peter Cooper High School, the name was changed to Morris High School to commemorate a famous Bronx landowner, Gouverneur Morris,^[1] one of the signers of the United States Constitution and credited as author of its Preamble. Morris High School was one of the original New York City Public High Schools created by the New York City school reform act of 1896.^[3] In 1983, the school and surrounding area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Morris High School Historic District.^[4]

Some of its famous alumni include former United States Secretary of State Colin Powell, United States Attorney Benito Romano, historian Vincent Harding, inventor Peter Karter, Representative Frank A. Oliver, television journalist Gabe Pressman, and newspaper columnist Victor Riesel.^[1][5]

In 2002, as part of an overall restructuring and downsizing of New York City's high schools, Morris High School was closed and the building renamed the Morris Campus. It now houses five small specialty high schools: High School for Violin and Dance, Bronx Leadership Academy 2, Bronx International High School, the School for Excellence, and the Morris Academy for Collaborative Study.^{[citation needed]}

Other alumni

• Kay Medford, actress
• Judith Crist, film critic
• Armand Hammer, industrialist
• Jules Dassin, film director
• Alex Faickney Osborn, advertising executive
• Bernard Opper (class of 1934) – All-American basketball player for the Kentucky Wildcats
• Milton Berle, comedian
• Robert Scheer, journalist
• Anthony J. DePace, architect, known for his design of many Roman Catholic churches throughout the Northeast

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} "Morris Campus History". Morris Campus. http://www.morriscampus.org/morris_campus/history.jsp?rn=3939902. Retrieved 2009-01-06. 
2. ^ "Morris High School". NNDB. http://www.nndb.com/edu/173/000166672/. Retrieved 2009-01-06. 
3. ^ Gary Hermalyn, Morris High School and the Creation of the New York City Public High School System, Bronx Historical Society, 1995.
4. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
5. ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence. "Victor Riesel, 81, Columnist Blinded by Acid Attack, Dies." The New York Times. January 5, 1995.

Coordinates: 40°49′51″N 73°53′59″W / 40.83086°N 73.899682°W / 40.83086; -73.899682